Abstract
Supersonic inlets are a key component of present and future air-breathing propulsion systems for high-speed flight. The inlet design is challenging because of several phenomena that must be taken under control: shock waves, boundary layer separation and unsteadiness. Furthermore, the intensity of these phenomena is strongly influenced by the working conditions and so active control systems can be particularly useful in off-design conditions. In this work, a mixed compression supersonic inlet with a double wedge ramp is considered. The flow field was numerically investigated at different values of Mach number. The simulations show that large separations appear at the higher Mach numbers on both the upper and lower walls of the duct. In order to improve the performances of the inlet two different control strategies were investigated: plasma actuators and bleed. Different locations of the plasma actuator are considered in order to also apply this technology to configurations with a diverter which prevents boundary layer ingestion. The potential of the proposed solutions is investigated in terms of total pressure recovery, flow distortion and power consumption.
Highlights
Supersonic intakes represent a critical component of supersonic vehicles since they can strongly influence the performances of the engine [1]
In the experimental work performed by Falempin et al [25] a quasi-direct current discharge is applied on the wall in front of a double wedge inlet ramp in off-design conditions: the activation of the plasma actuator generates a perturbation in the flow which is able to steer the leading edge shock wave in order to improve performances in off-design conditions
The use of plasma actuators was investigated for improving the performances of a supersonic inlet in off-design conditions
Summary
Supersonic intakes represent a critical component of supersonic vehicles since they can strongly influence the performances of the engine [1]. Boundary layer bleed is another widely used active control strategy [18]: the separation induced by shock–boundary layer interaction can be significantly reduced by removing air from a slot, a scoop or by means of distributed suction This technique is very effective but introduces a bleed drag contribution, which can represent a significant contribution to the total vehicle drag. In the experimental work performed by Falempin et al [25] a quasi-direct current discharge is applied on the wall in front of a double wedge inlet ramp in off-design conditions: the activation of the plasma actuator generates a perturbation in the flow which is able to steer the leading edge shock wave in order to improve performances in off-design conditions. Several locations of the plasma actuator were investigated and the performances in terms of total pressure recovery, flow distortion and power consumption are provided
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