Supersonic Flow Control Research Articles

A Numerical Investigation of Supersonic Combustion Flow Control by Nanosecond-Pulsed Actuations

The efficiency of supersonic combustion is largely dependent on inlet and injection parameters. Additional energy input is required in some off-design conditions, and nanosecond discharge actuation can be a solution. In the present study, a phenomenological model of a nanosecond-pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (NS-SDBD) actuator was developed to analyze the combustion enhancement effect for a supersonic combustor with transverse H2 injection. A seven-reaction H2–air combustion model was adopted for the numerical simulation. Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) was employed to acquire temperature perturbation in spatial and temporal domains. The results show that the actuator provides additional temperature-increment and species transportation through compression waves. The combustion enhancement effect is mainly attributed to the flow perturbation in the shear layer, which promotes the turbulent diffusion of fuel. Given the same power input, the combustion efficiency at the shockwave reflection point is increased by 17.5%, and the flame height is increased by 15.4% at its maximum.

Study on the Sensitivity of the Streamwise Location of MVG on SWBLI in MVG-Based Supersonic Flow Control

Micro vortex generator (MVG) is a currently facile, robust, and feasible device for supersonic and hypersonic flow control. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact on SWBLI from the streamwise location of MVG. Large eddy simulation (LES) was conducted on MVG controlled supersonic ramp flow to reveal the sensitivity of MVG streamwise position on shock-wave boundary-layer interaction (SWBLI) control. Numerical cases with minor different distances between MVG and ramp corner are carried out. The results are analyzed in time-averaged and instantaneous view, respectively. The results show that streamwise position has a significant effect on SWBLI in some aspects. With minor changes on the streamwise position, the ring-like vortices generated by MVG were very similar, with only small changes in height and intensity. However, the small changes made on the ring-like vortices produced relatively significant changes to the separation region in front of the ramp. In terms of the time-averaged solution, the farther the MVG is from the ramp, the higher the ring-like vortices are lifted, and the shock wave is also disturbed/reduced more strongly. Further, the flow separation zone on the wall also appears smaller. The results of this study play a guiding role for further optimal configuration of MVG in flow control.

Principles of Magnetohydrodynamical Control of Internal and External Supersonic Flows

This paper demonstrates the possibility of active magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) control of supersonic flows containing shock waves. The shock wave configurations that occur at the inlet to a supersonic diffuser and in front of a streamlined semicylindrical model are used for the purpose of investigation. The impact is carried out by organizing local gas discharge regions when applying a magnetic field transverse to gas discharge currents. It has been shown that by changing the local region of application, the intensity and the direction of the gas discharge currents, it is possible to change the intensity and direction of the ponderomotive force acting on the gas flow during MHD interaction. The ponderomotive force control allows for acting locally on the shape and position of shock waves, the speed and direction of the flow, and the increase or reduction of pressure near the surface of the streamlined body. The experiments were carried out on a gas dynamic setup based on a shock tube in a gas dynamic path, capable of creating supersonic flows in a wide range of Mach numbers at M = 4–7. There was a possibility of organizing the electric and pulsed magnetic fields with an intensity of up to 1.5 T. The given experimental Schlieren flow patterns and the analysis of the obtained data demonstrate the MHD effect on: the change in the angle of inclination of the attached shocks, both into increase and decrease; the bow shock wave approaching the body or the removal from it; and the change in the aerodynamic drag and lift force of the streamlined bodies.

Supersonic cavity shear layer control using spanwise pulsed spark discharge array

An experimental study on supersonic cavity flow control using a spanwise pulsed spark discharge array (SP-PSDA) is performed in this paper. High-speed schlieren imaging at a frame rate of 50 kHz is deployed for flow visualization. The schlieren snapshots, as well as their statistics, are analyzed to reveal the supersonic cavity flow control effect and its underlying mechanism. Results show that the shear layer presents a wave-like oscillation due to thermal bulbs induced by SP-PSDA. Specifically, the shear layer structure in the baseline case resembles an incomplete hairpin structure, which becomes complete after plasma actuation. SP-PSDA actuation at 5 kHz has a better control effect, which enhances the IRMS of the whole hairpin structure and produces several channels within it—these aid momentum transport within the shear layer. According to the results of proper orthogonal decomposition, the thermal bulbs couple with the shear layer to form large-scale coherent structures. These structures excite the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, converting the oscillation frequency of the shear layer to an actuation frequency.

Unsteady control of supersonic turbulent cavity flow based on resolvent analysis

We use resolvent analysis to develop a physics-based, open-loop, unsteady control strategy to attenuate pressure fluctuations in turbulent flow over a rectangular cavity with a length-to-depth ratio of $6$ at a Mach number of $1.4$ and a Reynolds number based on cavity depth of $10\,000$. Large-eddy simulations (LES) of the baseline uncontrolled flow reveal the dominance of Rossiter modes II and IV that generate high-amplitude unsteadiness via trailing-edge impingement and oblique shock waves that obstruct the free stream. To suppress the oscillations, we introduce three-dimensional unsteady blowing along the cavity leading edge. We leverage resolvent analysis as a linear model with respect to the baseline flow to guide the selections of the optimal spanwise wavenumber and frequency of the unsteady actuation input for a fixed momentum coefficient of 0.02. Instead of choosing the most amplified resolvent forcing modes, we seek a disturbance that yields sustained amplification of the primary response mode-based kinetic energy distribution over the entire cavity length. This necessary but not sufficient guideline for effective mean flow modification is evaluated using LES of the controlled cavity flows. The most effective control case reduces the pressure root mean square level up to $52\,\%$ along cavity walls relative to the baseline and is approximately twice that achievable by comparable steady blowing. Dynamic mode decomposition on the controlled flows confirms that the optimal actuation input indeed suppresses the formation of the large-scale Rossiter modes. It is expected that the present flow control guideline derived from resolvent analysis will also be applicable at higher Reynolds numbers with the aid of physical insights and further validation.

A Critical Review of Supersonic Flow Control for High-Speed Applications

In high-speed fluid dynamics, base pressure controls find many engineering applications, such as in the automobile and defense industries. Several studies have been reported on flow control with sudden expansion duct. Passive control was found to be more beneficial in the last four decades and is used in devices such as cavities, ribs, aerospikes, etc., but these need additional control mechanics and objects to control the flow. Therefore, in the last two decades, the active control method has been used via a microjet controller at the base region of the suddenly expanded duct of the convergent–divergent (CD) nozzle to control the flow, which was found to be a cost-efficient and energy-saving method. Hence, in this paper, a systemic literature review is conducted to investigate the research gap by reviewing the exhaustive work on the active control of high-speed aerodynamic flows from the nozzle as the major focus. Additionally, a basic idea about the nozzle and its configuration is discussed, and the passive control method for the control of flow, jet and noise are represented in order to investigate the existing contributions in supersonic speed applications. A critical review of the last two decades considering the challenges and limitations in this field is expressed. As a contribution, some major and minor gaps are introduced, and we plot the research trends in this field. As a result, this review can serve as guidance and an opportunity for scholars who want to use an active control approach via microjets for supersonic flow problems.

Flow Control Effect of Spanwise Distributed Pulsed Arc Discharge Plasma Actuation on Supersonic Compressor Cascade Flow

To achieve efficient control of supersonic compressor cascade flow, a type of spanwise distributed pulsed arc discharge plasma actuation (PADPA) was designed. To simulate the influences of PADPA on the flow field, a phenomenological model was established. Then, the flow control effects of PADPA on supersonic compressor cascade flow were researched numerically. The results show that under low static pressure ratio condition, the compressive wave induced by PADPA reduced the intensity of the passage shock wave, which eventually reduced shock wave loss. It was also found that PADPA produced an adverse pressure gradient (pre-compression effect) around the actuation location, which reduced the strength of the high adverse pressure gradient induced by the passage shock wave. The airflow on both sides of the actuation location was accelerated by PADPA owing to the spanwise distributed layout. Thus, it improved the ability of the boundary layer to resist the effect of the adverse pressure gradient and reduced the separation zone. Consequently, the total pressure loss was reduced by 6.8%. Under high pressure ratio condition, the effect of PADPA on the suction side controlling the large separation of the boundary layer was insignificant. The total pressure loss also increased slightly.

Theoretical Analysis of Supersonic Low Reynolds Number Flow Control Technique Based on Flow Mixing

The thickness of boundary layer increases rapidly in supersonic low Reynolds number flows. As a result, there will be shock wave-boundary layer interference. The disturbances of downstream can spread upstream through in boundary layer because the flow in boundary layer is subsonic, which may decrease flow field uniformity and stability. The pressure of this type of flow is always very low. For the sake of flow continuity, the increase of flow pressure is necessary. A kind of supersonic low Reynolds number flow control technique was proposed. The high pressure supersonic flow jet-ted from plates which located in the flow channel blew away boundary layer, cut off the disturbances spread from downstream to upstream, and eliminated the shock wave-boundary layer interference. The pressure of primary flow was also increased by mixing with the high pressure jetting flow. The calculation model of this flow control technique was established. A group of standard inputs were selected to calculate the parameters of flow and the preliminary law of flow was also obtained.

Experimental study on supersonic plate boundary layer transition under pulsed arc plasma excitation control

Pulsed arc plasma excitation is characterized by strong local heating effect and wide disturbance range, and it has a broad application prospect in supersonic flow control. In this paper, by using electrical parameter measurement system and high speed schlieren technique, we study the electrical and flow field characteristics of pulsed arc plasma excitation under the condition of <i>Ma</i> = 3 incoming flow. The nano-particle planar laser scattering (NPLS) is used to investigate the flow structure of the supersonic flat boundary layer, and the transition characteristics of the boundary layer at different plasma excitation frequencies are studied. The experimental results show that in the flow field with <i>Ma</i> = 3 and the total incoming pressure <i>P</i><sub>0</sub> = 1 atm (1 atm = 1.01 × 10<sup>5</sup> Pa), the peak voltage of the pulsed arc plasma actuator discharge is 6 kV, the peak current is 70 A, the time scale of the discharge is about 300 ns, the single discharge energy is 70 mJ; the pulsed arc discharge will produce the precursor shock wave with higher velocity and the thermal deposition zone with higher temperature, which will exert continuously disturbance on the boundary layer. The pulsed arc plasma excitation with perturbation can promote the transition of supersonic plate boundary layer. Moreover, the high-frequency impact effect of pulsed discharge can promote the transition to occur ahead of time, and the higher the frequency, the better the effect is. As the excitation frequency increases, the transition position of the boundary layer of the supersonic flat plate moves forward, and the length of the transition area of the boundary layer becomes shorter as the excitation frequency increases. When the excitation frequency is 60 kHz, the length of transition zone is 0 and the thickness of turbulent boundary layer is 25 mm. When a high frequency is applied (<i>f</i> = 40, 60 kHz), the transition path of the boundary layer is that the shock wave generated by the plasma excitation triggers the unstable wave, and the development of unstable waves directly skips the linear growth stage, passes through the bypass and transitions into turbulent flow. The pulsed arc plasma excitation can be used to promote supersonic boundary layer transition.

Numerical Investigation on a New Concept of Shock Vector Control Nozzle

Shock vector control (SVC) based on transverse jet injection is one of the fluidic thrust vectoring (FTV) technologies, and is considered as a promising candidate for the future exhaust system working at high nozzle pressure ratio (NPR). However, the low vector efficiency (η) of the SVC nozzle remains an important problem. In the paper, a new method, named as the improved SVC, was proposed to improve the vector efficiency (η) of a SVC nozzle, which enhances the vector control of primary supersonic flow by adopting a bypass injection. It needs less secondary flow from high pressure component of an aero-engine and has smaller influence on the working character of an aero-engine. The flow mechanism of the improved SVC nozzle was investigated by solving three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier--Stokes with shear stress transport (SST) κ–ω turbulence model. The shock waves, jets-primary flow interactions, flow separation, and vector performance were analyzed. The influences of aerodynamic and geometric parameters, namely, NPR, secondary pressure ratio (SPR), and bypass injection position (Xj.ad.) on flow characteristics and vector performance were investigated. Based on the design of experiment (DOE), the response surface methodology (RSM) and the simulation model of an aero-engine, a method to estimate the coupling performance of the improved SVC nozzle and an aero-engine was studied, and a new balance relationship between the improved SVC nozzle and an aero-engine was established. Results shows that (1) with the assistance of bypass injection, the jet penetration and the capability of vector control are largely improved, resulting in a vector efficiency (η) of 1.98 deg/%-ω at the designed NPRD = 13.88; (2) in a wide range of operating conditions, larger vector angle (δp), higher thrust coefficient (Cfg), and higher vector efficiency (η) of the improved SVC nozzle were obtained, (3) in the coupling process of the improved SVC nozzle and an aero-engine, a δp of 18.1 deg was achieved at corrected secondary flow ratio of 10% and corrected bypass ratio of 6.98%, and the change of the thrust and the specific fuel consumption (SFC) were within 12%, which is better than the coupling performance of a SVC nozzle and an aero-engine.

Aerodynamic Layout Designs Using of Microflaps for Flow Control of a Supersonic Finned Projectile

In this paper, the flow control system consists of some small microflaps located between the rear fins of the projectile. These microflaps can alter the flow field in the finned region of the projectile resulting in asymmetric pressure distribution and thus producing control forces and moments, furthermore to provide directional control for a supersonic projectile. Due to the small size and high speed characteristics of projectile, which is with fast and valid response characteristics, this flow control system has initially shown excellent potential in terms of supersonic flow control. The CFD simulation used here solves steady-state Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation with two-equation turbulence model k-ε. Firstly, we investigate the flow mechanism around microflap in supersonic flow, the flow fields around the microflap are complex, involving three-dimensional shock-shock, shock-boundary layer interactions. Secondly, for the microflap and the fin of Basic Finner configuration, the influence of microflap geometric parameters, microflap locations on aerodynamics is obtained and the interference mechanism is explored. Finally, several typical roll and pitch control layouts are described. According to the simulation results and their analysis, some preliminary conclusions can be drawn: by analyzing the flow interference mechanism between microflap and the fin, we find that the separated shocks ahead of the microflap, the bow shocks around microflap, and the trailing-edge wake, have influences on fin's surface pressure; among these factors, the bow shocks are stronger than separated shocks, furthermore it can generate larger high pressure region. Then we find out the aerodynamic characteristics of several typical control layouts at a supersonic speed, Ma=2.5, furthermore, hence nearly 4.8% drag is increase compared with the condition without microflap. As the number of microflaps increasing, the control aerodynamic forces and moments increases almost linearly. With a proper layout of the microflap's location, quick change in the surface pressure distribution can be achieved for rear fins of the projectile, the microflap should be mounted that can increase the high pressure zone, meanwhile, reduce the low pressure zone on the surface of fins, thus modulating the projectile's attitude can be realized.

Plasma-Assisted Control of Supersonic Flow over a Compression Ramp

This study considers the effect of an electric discharge on the flow structure near a 19.4° compression ramp in Mach-2 supersonic flow. The experiments were conducted in the supersonic wind tunnel SBR-50 at the University of Notre Dame. The stagnation temperature and pressure were varied in a range of 294–600 K and 1–3 bar, respectively, to attain various Reynolds numbers ranging from 5.3 × 105 to 3.4 × 106 based on the distance between the exit of the Mach-2 nozzle and the leading edge of the ramp. Surface pressure measurements, schlieren visualization, discharge voltage and current measurements, and plasma imaging with a high-speed camera were used to evaluate the plasma control authority on the ramp pressure distribution. The plasma being generated in front of the compression ramp shifted the shock position from the ramp corner to the electrode location, forming a flow separation zone ahead of the ramp. It was found that the pressure on the compression surface reduced almost linearly with the plasma power. The ratio of pressure change to flow stagnation pressure was also an increasing function of the ratio of plasma power to enthalpy flux, indicating that the task-related plasma control effectiveness ranged from 17.5 to 25.

Aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency discharge plasma and control of supersonic flow**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11472306, 51407197, and 51507187).

In this paper, aerodynamic actuation characteristics of radio-frequency (RF) discharge plasma are studied and a method is proposed for shock wave control based on RF discharge. Under the static condition, a RF diffuse glow discharge can be observed; under the supersonic inflow, the plasma is blown downstream but remains continuous and stable. Time-resolved schlieren is used for flow field visualization. It is found that RF discharge not only leads to continuous energy deposition on the electrode surface but also induces a compression wave. Under the supersonic inflow condition, a weak oblique shock wave is induced by discharge. Experimental results of the shock wave control indicate that the applied actuation can disperse the bottom structure of the ramp-induced oblique shock wave, which is also observed in the extracted shock wave structure after image processing. More importantly, this control effect can be maintained steadily due to the continuous high-frequency (MHz) discharge. Finally, correlations for schlieren images and numerical simulations are employed to further explore the flow control mechanism. It is observed that the vortex in the boundary layer increases after the application of actuation, meaning that the boundary layer in the downstream of the actuation position is thickened. This is equivalent to covering a layer of low-density smooth wall around the compression corner and on the ramp surface, thereby weakening the compressibility at the compression corner. Our results demonstrate the ability of RF plasma aerodynamic actuation to control the supersonic airflow.

A study on fluidic vector control of supersonic jet flow by Coanda nozzle

A study on fluidic vector control of supersonic jet flow by Coanda nozzle

Theoretical investigation of supersonic flow control by nonthermal DC discharge

This work describes a theoretical study on shock wave modification by the electrical discharge generated with a DC voltage. Weakly ionized and high-density assumptions for nonthermal plasma were examined to demonstrate heat and momentum transfer contributions in supersonic flow control. The momentum equation for the plasma electrons and ions was considered to evaluate the changes in the incident flow velocity by the plasma. The change in the incident flow temperature was studied by applying source terms arising from a weakly ionized and high-density plasma to the energy equation. It was concluded that the momentum transfer from a nonthermal plasma into the incoming supersonic flow was responsible for the increasing shock wave angle. On the other hand, a nonthermal plasma with a remarkably high ionization degree increases the incident flow temperature drastically, while a weakly ionized plasma has a negligible effect on flow temperature. Our numerical results show that the electric field distribution has a significant role in the plasma flow control mechanisms, suggesting a new tailoring parameter via cathode geometry. The results of this work are in good agreement with respective experimental validation data and can be used in plasma-based shock wave control apparatus.

Transient Flow Patterns of Multiple Plasma Synthetic Jets Under Different Ambient Pressures

The plasma synthetic jet is a new active flow control technique, which has great potentials for supersonic flow control A plasma synthetic jet actuator (PSJA) for supersonic flow control which operates under low ambient pressure is designed In order to explore the transient jet flowfield, high-speed Schlieren and electronic measurement systems are utilized to test the single-shot operating characteristics of the actuator under two ambient pressure conditions. The evolution of the jet boundary, which depicts the transient jet flowfield and can be used to estimate the flow control capability, is captured. It is found that the ambient pressure is the primary reason to affect the arc energy deposition, which directly determines the velocity of blast wave and jet front. In addition, the flow patterns of PSJA under various ambient pressures show some similarities. The jet evolution can be divided into three stages, i.e. pressure dominant stage, the inertia dominant stage and vortex ring dominant stage. During the pressure dominant stage, the PSJA could be treated as jet. For the inertia dominant stage, the Froude number decreases from 2263.82 to 21.73, indicating the inertia effect gets weakened with an intensified buoyancy effect, but the inertia effect still holds the dominant position, and this stage may be considered as the end mark of the injection process. As for the vortex ring dominant stage, large scale vortex ring becomes significant and the jet front velocity is very low but with apparent fluctuation.

A note on supersonic flow control with nanosecond plasma actuator

A concept study on supersonic flow control using nanosecond pulsed plasma actuator is conducted by means of numerical simulation. The nanosecond plasma discharge is characterized by the generation of a micro-shock wave in ambient air and a residual heat in the discharge volume arising from the rapid heating of near-surface gas by the quick discharge. The residual heat has been found to be essential for the flow separation control over aerodynamic bodies like airfoil and backward-facing step. In this study, novel experiment is designed to utilize the other flow feature from discharge, i.e., instant shock wave, to control supersonic flow through shock-shock interaction. Both bow shock in front of a blunt body and attached shock anchored at the tip of supersonic projectile are manipulated via the discharged-induced shock wave in an appropriate manner. It is observed that drag on the blunt body is reduced appreciably. Meanwhile, a lateral force on sharp-edged projectile is produced, which can steer the body and give it an effective angle of attack. This opens a promising possibility for extending the applicability of this flow control technique in supersonic flow regime.

Control of supersonic oscillatory flow using small supersonic jet oscillating at high-frequencies

Control of supersonic oscillatory flow using small supersonic jet oscillating at high-frequencies

Formation, evolution and scaling of plasma synthetic jets

Plasma synthetic jet actuators (PSJAs), capable of producing high-velocity pulsed jets at high frequency, are well suited for high-Reynolds-number subsonic and supersonic flow control. The effects of energy deposition and actuation frequency on the formation and evolution characteristics of plasma synthetic jets (PSJs) are investigated in detail by high-speed phase-locked particle imaging velocimetry (PIV). Increasing jet intensity with energy deposition is mainly contributed by the increasing peak jet velocity ($U_{p}$), while decreasing jet intensity with actuation frequency is attributed to both the reduced cavity density (primary factor) and the shortened jet duration (secondary factor). The total energy efficiency of the considered PSJA ($O(0.01\,\%)$) reduces monotonically with increasing frequency, while the time-averaged thrust produced by the PSJA is positively proportional to both the deposition energy and the frequency. A simplified theoretical model is derived and reveals a scaling power law between the peak jet velocity and the non-dimensional deposition energy (exponent$1/3$). The propagation velocity of the vortex ring attached at the jet front shows a non-monotonic behaviour of initial sharp increase and subsequent mild decay. The peak values for both the propagation velocity and the circulation of the front vortex ring are reached approximately two exit diameters away from the exit. Finally, analysis of the time-averaged flow fields of the issuing PSJ indicates that the axial decay rate of the centreline velocity is proportional to the actuation frequency whereas it is invariant with the energy deposition. The jet spreading rate of the PSJ is found to be higher than steady jets but lower than piezoelectric synthetic jets. Similarly, the entrainment coefficients of the PSJ are found to be twice as high as the values for comparable steady jets.

Numerical study of MHD supersonic flow control

Supersonic MHD flow around a blunted body with a constant external magnetic field has been simulated for a number of geometries as well as a range of the flow parameters. Solvers based on Balbas-Tadmor MHD schemes and HLLC-Roe Godunov-type method have been developed within the OpenFOAM framework. The stability of the solution varies depending on the intensity of magnetic interaction The obtained solutions show the potential of MHD flow control and provide insights into for the development of the flow control system. The analysis of the results proves the applicability of numerical schemes, that are being used in the solvers. A number of ways to improve both the mathematical model of the process and the developed solvers are proposed.