A mechanism for unsteady separation in over-expanded nozzle flow

作者：Olson Britton J^*; Lele Sanjiva K

来源：Physics of Fluids, 2013, 25(11): 110809.

DOI：10.1063/1.4819349

Shock wave induced separation in an over-expanded planar nozzle is studied through numerical simulation. These Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) model previous experiments which have shown unsteady motion of the shock wave in flows with similar geometries but offered little insight into the underlying mechanism. Unsteady separation in nozzle flow leads to "side loads" in the rocket engine which can adversely affect the stability of the rocket. A mechanism for the low-frequency shock motion is identified and explained using the LES data. This mechanism is analyzed for a series of over-expanded planar nozzles of various area ratios and nozzle pressure ratios. The effect of grid resolution and Reynolds number on the instability is discussed. A simple reduced order model for the unsteady shock behavior is used to further validate the proposed mechanism. This model is derived from first principles and uses data from the LES calculations to capture the effects of the turbulent boundary layer and shear layer.

• 出版日期2013-11