Location
University of Utah
Start Date
5-10-1999 12:00 AM
Description
A technique is introduced in which a supersonic flow is compressed in a supersonic inlet by a high pressure jet. This fluidic compression technique is analyzed in the present work using computational techniques. It is shown that by adjusting the pressure of the compression jet, the flow can be kept near design conditions in a fixed-geometry configuration. Results show that this method increases the minimum flowpath area, maintains shock-on-lip over a range of Mach numbers, and reduces shock wave/boundary layer interactions. The potential advantages include lower spillage at low Mach numbers, reduced tendency to unstart, and the ability to have near-design operation over a wide range of flight Mach numbers without resorting to variable-geometry machinery. In addition, for combined-cycle engines it yields a low-blockage flowpath for ejector and ramjet modes while maintaining high compression in scramjet mode. Global analysis is used to provide qualitative performance estimates. Grid doubling is used to analyze spatial resolution.
Computational Analysis of Fluidic Compression in Supersonic Flowfields
University of Utah
A technique is introduced in which a supersonic flow is compressed in a supersonic inlet by a high pressure jet. This fluidic compression technique is analyzed in the present work using computational techniques. It is shown that by adjusting the pressure of the compression jet, the flow can be kept near design conditions in a fixed-geometry configuration. Results show that this method increases the minimum flowpath area, maintains shock-on-lip over a range of Mach numbers, and reduces shock wave/boundary layer interactions. The potential advantages include lower spillage at low Mach numbers, reduced tendency to unstart, and the ability to have near-design operation over a wide range of flight Mach numbers without resorting to variable-geometry machinery. In addition, for combined-cycle engines it yields a low-blockage flowpath for ejector and ramjet modes while maintaining high compression in scramjet mode. Global analysis is used to provide qualitative performance estimates. Grid doubling is used to analyze spatial resolution.