Effects of periodic cavitation on steam–water flow regime transition and mixing near steam nozzle exit

Supersonic steam injection from underwater vehicles into surrounding bulk water exhibits the formation of coherent structures due to the interfacial interaction between the steam and water. The mixing between the two is a function of the rate of growth of shear layer. In present work, experimental study is conducted with minor contribution from the CFD, to highlight the phenomena associated to the high-pressure steam injection into a pool of water under the influence of periodic cavitation which occurs near the steam's nozzle exit with its opening being at right angle to the opening of the exit nozzle. PIV setup along with piezoelectric acoustic emission sensors as well as LM35 temperature sensors and pitot tubes were applied to characterize the growth of the shear layer as a function of periodic cavitation with a range of steam's operating pressure. Based on the normalized shear growth rate as well as the Strouhal number and the normalized pitot thickness, the effect of rising in the cavitation on the variations of the thickness of the shear layer was studied. It was observed that higher area under the influence of the shear layer was due to the domination of the coherent flow structures, which influenced improved mixing between the steam and water. Comparison of our data with the available shear growth rate in literature shows good agreement when compared as a function of Mach number.

A novel hybrid aircraft propulsion based on the DEA compressor—part B: Performance

This two-parts article introduces a novel hybrid propulsion system based on the DEA compressor. The system encompasses a Pulse Detonation TurboDEA as the master engine that supplies several full-electric ancillary thrusters called DEAThruster. The system, called the propulsion set, can be categorized as a distributed propulsion system based on the design mission and number of ancillary thrusters. Part B of this article explains the performance sizing of the propulsion set designed in part A. Evaluating the performance of the propulsion, computer programs are written for all major components of the both master engine and ancillary thruster. The intake, compressor, detonation process, diffusers, axial turbine, and exit nozzle are modeled under certain flight conditions, and their performances are revealed and analyzed. The flight conditions are considered from the static condition at the sea level up to flight Mach number 5 at an altitude of 20,000 m. The performance of the propulsion set is also compared with some aircraft propulsions modeled by similar studies in all important aspects.

A novel hybrid aircraft propulsion based on the DEA compressor—Part A: Design

This two-part article introduces a novel hybrid propulsion system based on the DEA compressor. The system encompasses a Pulse Detonation TurboDEA as the master engine that supplies several full-electric ancillary thrusters called DEAThruster. The system, called the propulsion set, can be categorized as a distributed propulsion system based on the design mission and number of ancillary thrusters. Part A of this article explains the design process comprising intake, compressor, detonation process, diffuser, axial turbine, and the exit nozzle. The main target is to design a high-performance low emission propulsion system capable of serving in a wide range of altitudes and flight Mach numbers that covers altitudes up to 20,000 m and flight Mach number up to the hypersonic edge. Designing the propulsion set, the design point is considered at the static condition in the sea level. Design results show the propulsion set can satisfy all requirements necessary for its mission.

The non-reacting flow characteristics of pylon and wall injections in a dual combustion ramjet engine

The influence of pylon and wall injection in coaxial jets of a Dual Combustion Ramjet engine is numerically investigated in a non-reacting flow field. The supersonic combustor is modeled and analyzed using the commercial CFD software ANSYS 18.0. The three-dimensional compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the SST k-ω turbulence model have been used to analyze the coaxial mixing characteristics of the jets. The numerical study is validated with the experimental data of the wall static pressures measured in the combustor’s flow direction. The pylon and wall injectors are located symmetrically at the gas generator’s exit nozzle, and the air is used as the injectant to simulate gaseous fuel. Three injection pressures are used for the study to understand the flow field characteristics in the injector regime. Also, the gas generator downstream direction is investigated. The shock waves generated from the gas generator nozzle enhance the mixing of the coaxial jets with minimum total pressure loss. The shock wave interactions are noticed with reducing intensity within the supersonic combustor for pylon injection, leading to higher total pressure loss than the wall injection. The pylon injection provides the spatial distribution of fuels compared to the wall injection in the coaxial supersonic flow field.

Internal Geometry and External Wall Effects on Fluidic Oscillator Behavior

This study quantified the correlation of internal geometry (including Coanda effects) and external walls on oscillation frequency for a fluidic oscillator that was tested for a variety of mass flow rates using CO2 gas. The oscillator designs were modified by altering the aspect ratio (AR) with respect to the exit nozzle and changing the cross-sectional area ratio (MR) between the exit throat and power nozzle. The AR and cross-sectional MR were shown to be correlated with frequency. External walls parallel to each other and perpendicular to the oscillator exit throat were added at varying separation distances to observe how they affected the jet oscillation angle and frequency. By increasing the convexity of the exit throat, Coanda effects were about three times more effective in increasing the oscillation angle compared to wall effects. The internal geometry effects were combined by nondimensional analysis to find a function for predicting the frequency of an oscillator in terms of aspect and area ratios. The function showed that the oscillators converged to a single Strouhal number of 0.016.

IMPACT OF EXIT DUCT DYNAMIC RESPONSE ON COMPRESSOR STABILITY

Abrupt distortions can appear as a result of transient crosswind or during rapid aircraft maneuvers. Such distortions can reduce the aerodynamic stability of engines and therefore present a major concern to all aero-engine manufacturers. To assess the aerodynamic stability of fan blades due to distortions, rig tests are usually carried out to establish the loss in stall margin. In such test campaigns, an exit duct followed by a nozzle is placed downstream of the fan blade and the operating condition of the fan is controlled by this nozzle. It is shown in this paper that in such rig tests the length of duct downstream of a fan has a significant impact on fan stall margin. The key contributor for such interaction is the dynamic response of the exit duct and the aerodynamic stability of the fan is affected by the acoustic reflection from the exit nozzle. To study the underlying physics, transient response in the exit duct downstream of a transonic fan stage was studied numerically using a simplified model. Simulation results, along with calculations based on analytical theories, confirmed the generation, propagation and reflection of waves induced by the inlet distortion. A quantitative relationship concerning the lengths of the compression system is introduced which determines whether a duct setup would have beneficial or detrimental influences on compressor aerodynamic stability. The findings of this research have great implications for the stability assessment of fans as the stability margin can be affected by the waves generated in bypass ducts.