Aspect Ratio Driven Relationship between Nozzle Internal Flow and Supersonic Jet Mixing

Abstract

This work attempts to connect internal flow to the exit flow and supersonic jet mixing in rectangular nozzles with low to high aspect ratios (AR). A series of low and high aspect ratio rectangular nozzles (design Mach number = 1.5) with sharp throats are numerically investigated using steady state Reynolds-averaged Navier−Stokes (RANS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with k-omega shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The numerical shadowgraph reveals stronger shocks at low ARs which become weaker with increasing AR due to less flow turning at the throat. Stronger shocks cause more aggressive gradients in the boundary layer resulting in higher wall shear stresses at the throat for low ARs. The boundary layer becomes thick at low ARs creating more aerodynamic blockage. The boundary layer exiting the nozzle transforms into a shear layer and grows thicker in the high AR nozzle with a smaller potential core length. The variation in the boundary layer growth on the minor and major axis is explained and its growth downstream the throat has a significant role in nozzle exit flow characteristics. The loss mechanism throughout the flow is shown as the entropy generated due to viscous dissipation and accounts for supersonic jet mixing. Axis switching phenomenon is also addressed by analyzing the streamwise vorticity fields at various locations downstream from the nozzle exit.