For decades noise-induced hearing loss has been a concern of the Department of Defense (DoD). My research investigates noise generation and dispersion in supersonic jets and focuses on the fluid-dynamic regime typical of high-performance turbojet and turbofan engines. The goal of my research is to understand how dispersion and propagation of wavepackets can be modified by noise reduction strategies based on secondary injections of fluid with a different temperature from the main jet. The research is organized into three studies that focus on instability, large eddy simulations, and resolvent modes. The first study is a computational investigation of the role of thermal non-uniformity on the development of instability modes in the shear-layer of a supersonic $M= 1.5$, $Re=850,000$ jet. Cold fluid is injected at the axis of a heated jet to introduce radial non-uniformity and control the spatial development of the shear layer. The mean flow is analyzed with an efficient 2D and 3D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach using the SU2 code platform for 3 different cases -baseline, centered, and offset injection. Different turbulence models are tested and compared with the experiments. The coherent perturbation is analyzed using linear parallel and parabolized stability equations (PSEs). The second study investigates novel formulations of large eddy simulation models using an arbitrary high order discontinuous Galerkin scheme. The LES analysis focuses on both numerical issues (such as convergence against the polynomial order of the mesh), modeling issues (such as the choice of subgrid model), and underlying physics (such as vortex stretching and noise generation). Wall models are used to capture the viscous sublayer at the nozzle. The Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) method is used for far-field noise predictions for all cases. Three-dimensionality is studied to investigate how injection in the shear layer acts to create a rotational inviscid core and affects the mixing of the cold fluid and noise dispersion. The third study extends the (first) instability study by considering (global) resolvent modes. Such optimally forced modes of the turbulent mean flow field will identify the turbulent coherent structures (wavepackets) for different turbulence models at $M=1.5$. The LES simulations performed in the second study will be used to extract the mean flow and the dynamic modes for comparison. My research plan is to perform the resolvent analysis of the axisymmetric mean flow fields for the thermally activated case (i.e., the centered injection) and compare it to the baseline jet case. Different turbulence models will be investigated to determine the correct alignment of dynamic and resolvent modes. Finally, I will consider the three-dimensional, non-axisymmetric mean flow created by offset injection described in the second study, which requires evaluating the convolution products of resolvent modes and base flow. Such three-dimensional resolvent compressible modes have never been identified in the context of supersonic jets. / Doctor of Philosophy / For decades noise-induced hearing loss has been a concern of the Department of Defense (DoD). Research in this area is critical to US national security and valued by both the aircraft industry and government. The noise generated during take-off and landing is hazardous to the crew personnel who work around this vicinity. A reduction of noise can significantly decrease medical expenditure and allow the aircraft industry to meet the stringent community noise requirements. Among the various techniques of noise reduction analyzed over the years, thermal non-uniformity stands out for its simple implementation and cost-effectiveness, especially in after-burner turbojets. Thermal non-uniformity with a cold secondary stream introduces low-velocity fluid in a supersonic jet by locally increasing the density while matching the mass flow rate. Changes to the velocity profile are localized; different regions of the jet emit sound at different frequencies and radiation angles, thus the link between injection location and noise control is not well understood. Using different computational tools this research investigates the link connecting thermal non-uniformity, turbulent production, and sound generation. Injection at different radial locations affects the two mechanisms of sound radiation in different ways. The first mechanism, the Kelvin Helmholtz instability, can be studied as an eigenvalue problem that represents the spatial growth of normal modes. De-coherence of these modal fluctuations can be obtained by injecting secondary fluid directly into the shear layer. This injection mode is called offset injection. The present research shows that the thickening of the shear layer due to low-velocity fluid delays the formation of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes in the offset case. Thus, the outskirts of the jet produce pressure fluctuations with a lower spectral energy density. The second mechanism, the Orr instability, can be analyzed as non-modal growth of acoustic perturbation forced by the breakdown of the core of the jet. LES and stability analysis shows that centered injection is highly effective in reducing the Orr radiation. Resolvent modes explain that the rationale is the delay and reduction of a secondary resonant peak between spatial eddies and forcing caused by changes in the mean profile responsive to secondary injection. Our analysis also explains why the offset injection is more effective at a low polar angle, while centered injection reduces acoustic radiation towards high polar angles. Parametric studies of different injection strategies, i.e., location and number of injection ports are performed to demonstrate the best strategy for noise level reductions.

In recent years, jet noise has been an active area of research due to an increase in the use of aircraft in both commercial and military applications. To meet the noise standards laid out by government agencies, novel nozzle design concepts are being developed with an aim to attenuate the noise levels. To reduce the high costs incurred by experiments, simulation techniques such as large eddy simulation (LES) in combination with a surface integral acoustic method have received much attention for investigating various nozzle concepts. LES is utilized to predict the unsteady flow in the nearfield, whereas the surface integral acoustic method is used for the computation of noise in the farfield. However, Reynolds numbers at which nozzles operate in the real world are very high making wall-resolved LES simulations prohibitively expensive. To make LES simulations affordable, wall-models are being used to model the flow in the near wall region. Using a highly scalable, sixth-order finite-difference-based, in-house LES code, both wall-resolved and wall-modeled simulations of jets through the baseline short metal chevron (SMC000) nozzle were carried out earlier using an implicit LES (ILES) approach. However, differences exist in noise levels between the two simulations. Understanding the cause and reducing the differences between the two methodologies, while at the same time improving the fidelity of the wall-modeled LES is the main aim of the present work. Three new wall-models are implemented in the in-house LES code. A generalized equilibrium wall-model (GEWM) is implemented along with two wall-models that can account for non-equilibrium effects. First, a series of preliminary SMC000 wall-modeled LES simulations were performed and analyzed using the GEWM. The effect of turbulent length scales and velocity fluctuations specified at the inflow, wall-model formulation, and wall-normal grid refinement are analyzed. The adjustment of the fluctuations levels at the inflow proves to be useful in producing flowfields similar to that of the wall-resolved simulation. The newly implemented wall-models are validated for non-canonical problems such as an accelerating boundary layer developing over a flat plate and flow through a converging-diverging channel. It is noticed that the Reynolds number should be high enough for the non-equilibrium wall-models to be effective. At low Reynolds numbers, both equilibrium and non-equilibrium models produce similar wall shear-stresses. However, the wall shear stress boundary conditions supplied by the wall-models do not affect the mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds shear stress. Since all the wall-models produce similar results, and the GEWM is the most economical among the implemented wall-models, it is used in performing two wall-modeled LES SMC000 nozzle simulations for noise predictions. The inflow velocity and density fluctuations are varied between the simulations. The first SMC000 simulation uses similar inflow conditions as the previous wall-resolved SMC000 simulation. The second wall-modeled simulation was carried out by reducing the density and velocity fluctuations added to the mean flow at the inlet by 65%. The flowfield and acoustics agree reasonably well in comparison with the wall-resolved LES and similar experiments. Lowering of the velocity and density fluctuations in the wall-model LES improves the agreement of the far-field noise predictions with the wall-resolved LES at most observer locations. However, the preliminary SMC000 simulations performed using a higher Reynolds number and Mach number than that of the previous case show that the approach of adjusting the velocity and density fluctuations added to the mean flow have minimal impact on the developing flowfield which in turn affects the farfield noise. Thus, unless a more effective wall-modeling method is developed, possibly employing an explicit SGS model, the postdictive process of using a wall-model while adjusting the velocity and density fluctuations, seems to be an affordable tool for testing various nozzle designs, subject to the Reynolds number and Mach number being used.

This work provides overview of creating of a simple driver for the BIOS flash memory by accessing the physical computer memory. Although, the BIOS is one of a system's core components, there is no standardized update mechanism approach. Purpose of thesis is to create module driver by taking advantage of existing interface subsystem MTD, to suggest and implement driver for one specific device to Linux kernel operating system. Also explains technique allowing write access to registers of the flash memory with utilization of configuration file.