Hot Subsonic Jets Research Articles

Analysis of noise radiation mechanisms in hot subsonic jet from a validated large eddy simulation solution

In the framework of jet noise computation, a numerical simulation of a subsonic turbulent hot jet is performed using large-eddy simulation. A geometrical tripping is used in order to trigger the turbulence at the nozzle exit. In a first part, the validity of the simulation is assessed by comparison with experimental measurements. The mean and rms velocity fields show good agreement, so do the azimuthal composition of the near pressure field and the far field spectra. Discrepancies remain close to the nozzle exit which lead to a limited overestimation of the pressure levels in both near and far fields, especially near the 90∘ angular sector. Two point correlation analyses are then applied to the data obtained from the simulation. These enable to link the downstream acoustic radiation, which is the main direction of radiation, to pressure waves developing in the shear layer and propagating toward the potential core end. The intermittency of the downstream acoustic radiation is evidenced and related to the coherent structures developing in the shear layer.

Tenth-order accurate multioperator scheme and its application in direct numerical simulation

A tenth-order accurate multioperator difference scheme based on two-point compact noncentered operators is described. Optimal sets of parameters ensuring the smallness of the phase and amplitude errors are found. Results obtained by the numerical simulation of the instability of a hot subsonic jet are discussed. Characteristics of excited acoustic fields are presented.

Aerodynamic sound generation by global modes in hot jets

The acoustic field generated by the synchronized vortex street in self-excited hot subsonic jets is investigated via direct numerical simulation of the compressible equations of motion in an axisymmetric geometry. The simulation simultaneously resolves both the aerodynamic near field and the acoustic far field. Self-sustained near-field oscillations in the present flow configurations have been described as nonlinear global modes in an earlier study. The associated acoustic far field is found to be that of a compact dipole, emanating from the location of vortex roll-up. A far-field solution of the axisymmetric Lighthill equation is derived, on the basis of the source term formulation of Lilley (AGARD-CP, vol. 131, 1974, pp. 13.1–13.12). With the near-field source distributions obtained from the direct numerical simulations, the Lighthill solution is in good agreement with the far-field simulation results. Fluctuations of the enthalpy flux within the jet are identified as the dominant aeroacoustic source. Superdirective effects are found to be negligible.

Frequency selection in globally unstable round jets

The self-sustained formation of synchronized ring vortices in hot subsonic jets is investigated by direct numerical simulation of the axisymmetric equations of motion. The onset of global instability and the global frequency of synchronized oscillations are examined as functions of the ambient-to-jet temperature ratio and the initial jet shear layer thickness. The numerical results are found to follow the predictions from nonlinear global instability theory; global instability sets in as the unperturbed flow is absolutely unstable over a region of finite streamwise extent at the inlet, and the global frequency near the global instability threshold corresponds to the absolute frequency of the inlet profile. In strongly supercritical thin shear layer jets, however, the simulations display global frequencies well above the absolute frequency, in agreement with experimental results. The inner structure of rolled-up vortices in hot jets displays fine layers of positive and negative vorticity that are produced and maintained by the action of the baroclinic torque.

Analysis of the Two Similarity Components of Turbulent Mixing Noise

It is now widely believed that the turbulence in free shear layers is not completely random, but more coherent and orderly, and that turbulent flows contain both fine-scale and large-scale structures. Both fine-scale turbulence and large-scale turbulence generate noise. Experimental measurements have shown conclusively that the mean flow as well as the turbulence statistics exhibit self-similarity. Based on these observations, Tam et al. (Tam, C. K. W., Golebiowski, M., and Seiner, J. M., Two Components of Turbulent Mixing Noise from Supersonic Jets, AIAA Paper 96-1716, 1996) proposed that because noise is generated by the turbulence of the jet, the noise spectra generated by fine-scale and large-scale turbulence should also exhibit self-similarity. By the examination of a large set of supersonic jet noise data acquired at NASA Langley Research Center, Tam et al. offered evidence that the turbulent mixing noise of high-speed jets does consist of two, independent self-similar components. We first provide additional independent confirmation of the universal shapes of the two components of mixing noise for a single jet. The significance of an important effect, due to atmospheric absorption, is illustrated with detailed analysis of The Boeing Company jet noise data. The Tam et al. analysis is based on the examination of data from single-stream nozzles. We provide evidence from the analysis of noise from dual-stream nozzles that the measured spectra in the forward quadrant and near-normal angles conform to the shape of the fine-scale spectrum, regardless of nozzle geometry and operating conditions. We clearly demonstrate that the spectral shape associated with the large-scale structures of single jets does not characterize the noise of coaxial jets at large aft angles. Finally, we show that the noise of hot subsonic jets at low angles also conform to the shape of the fine-scale spectrum.

Modified Shielding Jet Model for Twin-Jet Shielding Analysis

An analytical model to estimate the shielding of noise emitted from a point noise source has been developed assuming the shielding jet to be a cylinder of constant radius with uniform flow across the cross section. Comparison to experiment indicated that the model overestimates diffraction of sound around the jet in the far downstream region. The shielding jet model is modified to include widening downstream of the nozzle exit. This not only represents a more realistic model of the jet, but is also expected to improve the shielding estimate downstream. The modified jet model incorporates a Mach number dependent widening rate, a corresponding decrease in flow velocity downstream and an equivalent slug flow evaluation to retain the locally parallel flow approximation of the model development. The shielding analysis with modified jet model is compared to measured data for a subsonic isothermal air jet and a simulated hot subsonic jet. Improvement of the shielding estimate is discussed.

Contributions to the theory of aerodynamic sound, with application to excess jet noise and the theory of the flute

This paper describes a reformulation of the Lighthill (1952) theory of aerodynamic sound. A revised approach to the subject is necessary in order to unify the various ad hoc procedures which have been developed for dealing with aerodynamic noise problems since the original appearance of Lighthill's work. First, Powell's (1961 a) concept of vortex sound is difficult to justify convincingly on the basis of Lighthill's acoustic analogy, although it is consistent with model problems which have been treated by the method of matched asymptotic expansions. Second, Candel (1972), Marble (1973) and Morfey (1973) have demonstrated the importance of entropy inhomogeneities, which generate sound when accelerated in a mean flow pressure gradient. This is arguably a more significant source of acoustic radiation in hot subsonic jets than pure jet noise. Third, the analysis of Ffowcs Williams & Howe (1975) of model problems involving the convection of an entropy ‘slug’ in an engine nozzle indicates that the whole question of excess jet noise may be intimately related to the convection of flow inhomogeneities through mean flow pressure gradients. Such problems are difficult to formulate precisely in terms of Lighthill's theory because of the presence of an extensive, non-acoustic, non-uniform mean flow. The convected-entropy source mechanism is actually absent from the alternative Phillips (1960) formulation of the aerodynamic sound problem.In this paper the form of the acoustic propagation operator is established for a non-uniform mean flow in the absence of vortical or entropy-gradient source terms. The natural thermodynamic variable for dealing with such problems is the stagnation enthalpy. This provides a basis for a new acoustic analogy, and it is deduced that the corresponding acoustic source terms are associated solely with regions of the flow where the vorticity vector and entropy-gradient vector are non-vanishing. The theory is illustrated by detailed applications to problems which, in the appropriate limit, justify Powell's theory of vortex sound, and to the important question of noise generation during the unsteady convection of flow inhomogeneities in ducts and past rigid bodies in free space. At low Mach numbers wave propagation is described by a convected wave equation, for which powerful analytical techniques, discussed in the appendix, are available and are exploited.Fluctuating heat sources are examined: a model problem is considered and provides a positive comparison with an alternative analysis undertaken elsewhere. The difficult question of the scattering of a plane sound wave by a cylindrical vortex filament is also discussed, the effect of dissipation at the vortex core being taken into account.Finally an approximate aerodynamic theory of the operation of musical instruments characterized by the flute is described. This involves an investigation of the properties of a vortex shedding mechanism which is coupled in a nonlinear manner to the acoustic oscillations within the instrument. The theory furnishes results which are consistent with the playing technique of the flautist and with simple acoustic measurements undertaken by the author.