Prediction model of flow duct constriction noise

Abstract

The scaling law for aerodynamic dipole type of sound from constrictions in low speed flow ducts by Nelson and Morfey is revisited. A summary of earlier published results using this scaling law is presented together with some new data. Based on this, an effort to find a general scaling law for the sound power for components with both distinct and non-distinct flow separation points are made. Special care is taken to apply the same scaling to all data based on the pressure drop. Results from both rectangular and circular ducts, duct flow velocities from 2 to 120m/s and sound power measurements made both in ducts and in reverberation chambers are presented. The computed sound power represents the downstream source output in a reflection free duct. In particular for the low frequency plane wave range strong reflections from e.g. openings can affect the sound power output. This is handled by reformulating the Nelson and Morfey model in the form of an active acoustic 2-port. The pressure loss information needed for the semi-empirical scaling law can be gained from CFD simulations. A method using Reynold Average Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations is presented, where the required mesh quality is evaluated and estimation of the dipole source strength via the use of the pressure drop is compared to using the turbulent kinetic energy.