<p dir="ltr">On many hypersonic vehicles, gaps are present on the outer surface of the vehicle and the interaction of the hypersonic freestream flow over these gaps can cause significant heat transfer to the vehicle. The project described in this thesis analyzed selected hypersonic gap problems and attempted to offer solutions to combat the heat transfer occurring in the gap. The first section of this thesis is a parametric study to understand the changes to the heat transfer and flow that modifications to the gap geometry can make. The second section is a comparison of the computational model to experimental data. The results of the studies show that adding a simple fillet or chamfer to the downstream step of the gap can reduce the maximum heat flux by over 90%. These results can be used to reduce the heat transfer caused by flow impingement in the gaps of hypersonic vehicles with a simple modification of the geometry and is consistent with the findings of other work in gap heating.</p>

Hypersonic vehicles are exposed to severe heating loads during their flight in the atmosphere. In order to minimize the heating problem, a variety of cooling techniques are presently available for hypersonic blunt bodies. Introduction of a forward-facing cavity in the nose tip of a blunt body configuration of hypersonic vehicle is one of the most simple and attractive methods of reducing the convective heating rates on such a vehicle. In addition to aerodynamic heating, the overall drag force experienced by vehicles flying at hypersonic speeds is predominate due to formation of strong shock waves in the flow. Hence, the effective management of heat transfer rate and aerodynamic drag is a primary element to the success of any hypersonic vehicle design. So, precise information on both aerodynamic forces and heat transfer rates are essential in deciding the performance of the vehicle. In order to address the issue of both forces and heat transfer rates, right kind of measurement techniques must be incorporated in the ground-based testing facilities for such type of body configurations. Impulse facilities are the only devices that can simulate high altitude flight conditions. Uncertainties in test flow conditions of impulse facilities are some of the critical issues that essentially affect the final experimental results. Hence, more reliable and carefully designed experimental techniques/methodologies are needed in impulse facilities for generating experimental data, especially at hypersonic Mach numbers. In view of the above, an experimental program has been initiated to develop novel techniques of measuring both the aerodynamic forces and surface heat transfer rates. In the present investigation, both aerodynamic forces and surface heat transfer rates are measured over the test models at hypersonic Mach numbers in IISc hypersonic shock tunnel HST-2, having an effective test time of 800 s. The aerodynamic coefficients are measured with a miniature type accelerometer based balance system where as platinum thin film sensors are used to measure the convective heat transfer rates over the surface of the test model. An internally mountable accelerometer based balance system (three and six-component) is used for the measurement of aerodynamic forces and moment coefficients acting on the different test models (i.e., blunt cone with after body, blunt cone with after body and frustum, blunt cone with after body-frustum-triangular fins and sharp cone with after body-frustum-triangular fins), flying at free stream Mach numbers of 5.75 and 8 in hypersonic shock tunnel. The main principle of this design is that the model along with the internally mounted accelerometer balance system are supported by rubber bushes and there-by ensuring unrestrained free floating conditions of the model in the test section during the flow duration. In order to get a better performance from the accelerometer balance system, the location of accelerometers plays a vital role during the initial design of the balance. Hence, axi-symmetric finite element modeling (FEM) of the integrated model-balance system for the missile shaped model has been carried out at 0° angle of attack in a flow Mach number of 8. The drag force of a model was determined using commercial package of MSC/NASTRAN and MSC/PATRAN. For test flow duration of 800 s, the neoprene type rubber with Young’s modulus of 3 MPa and material combinations (aluminum and stainless steel material used as the model and balance) were chosen. The simulated drag acceleration (finite element) from the drag accelerometer is compared with recorded acceleration-time history from the accelerometer during the shock tunnel testing. The agreement between the acceleration-time history from finite-element simulation and measured response from the accelerometer is very good within the test flow domain. In order to verify the performance of the balance, tests were carried out on similar standard AGARD model configurations (blunt cone with cylinder and blunt cone with cylinder-frustum) and the results indicated that the measured values match very well with the AGARD model data and theoretically estimated values. Modified Newtonian theory is used to calculate the aerodynamic force coefficient analytically for various angles of attack. Convective surface heat transfer rate measurements are carried out by using vacuum sputtered platinum thin film sensors deposited on ceramic substrate (Macor) inserts which in turn are embedded on the metallic missile shaped body. Investigations are carried out on a model with and without fin configurations in HST-2 at flow Mach number of 5.75 and 8 with a stagnation enthalpy of 2 MJ/kg for zero degree angle of attack. The measured heating rates for the missile shaped body (i.e., with fin configuration) are lower than the predicted stagnation heating rates (Fay-Riddell expression) and the maximum difference is about 8%. These differences may be due to the theoretical values of velocity gradient used in the empirical relation. The experimentally measured values are expressed in terms of normalized heat transfer rates, Stanton numbers and correlated Stanton numbers, compared with the numerically estimated results. From the results, it is inferred that the location of maximum heating occurs at stagnation point which corresponds to zero velocity gradient. The heat-transfer ratio (q1/Qo)remains same in the stagnation zone of the model when the Mach number is increased from 5.75 to 8. At the corners of the blunt cone, the heat transfer rate doesn’t increase (or) fluctuate and the effects are negligible at two different Mach numbers (5.75 and 8). On the basis of equivalent total enthalpy, the heat-transfer rate with fin configuration (i.e., at junction of cylinder and fins) is slightly higher than that of the missile model without fin. Attempts have also been made to evaluate the feasibility of using forward facing cavity as probable technique to reduce the heat transfer rate and to study its effect on aerodynamic coefficients on a 41° apex angle missile shaped body, in hypersonic shock tunnel at a free stream Mach number of 8. The forward-facing circular cavities with two different diameters of 6 and 12 mm are chosen for the present investigations. Experiments are carried out at zero degree angle of attack for heat transfer measurements. About 10-25 % reduction in heat transfer rates is observed with cavity at gauge locations close to stagnation region, whereas the reduction in surface heat transfer rate is between 10-15 % for all other gauge locations (which is slightly downstream of the cavity) compared with the model without cavity. In order to understand the influence of forward facing cavities on force coefficients, measurement of aerodynamic forces and moment coefficients are also carried out on a missile shaped body at angles of attack. The same six component balance is also being used for subsequent investigation of force measurement on a missile shaped body with forward facing cavity. Overall drag reductions of up to 5 % is obtained for a cavity of 6 mm diameter, where as, for the 12 mm cavity an increase in aerodynamic drag is observed (up to about 10%). The addition of cavity resulted in a slight increase in the missile L/D ratio and did not significantly affect the missile lateral components. In summary, the designed balances are found to be suitable for force measurements on different test models in flows of duration less than a millisecond. In order to compliment the experimental results, axi-symmetric, Navier-Stokes CFD computations for the above-defined models are carried out for various angles of attack using a commercial package CFX-Ansys 5.7. The experimental free stream conditions obtained from the shock tunnel are used for the boundary conditions in the CFD simulation. The fundamental aerodynamic coefficients and heat transfer rates of experimental results are shown to be in good agreement with the predicted CFD. In order to have a feeling of the shock structure over test models, flow visualization experiments have been carried out by using the Schlieren technique at flow Mach numbers of 5.75 and 8. The visualized shock wave pattern around the test model consists of a strong bow shock which is spherical in shape and symmetrical over the forebody of the cone. Experimentally measured shock stand-off distance compare well with the computed value as well as the theoretically estimated value using Van Dyke’s theory. These flow visualization experiments have given a factual proof to the quality of flow in the tunnel test section.

Hypersonic flow is both fascinating and intriguing mainly because of presence of strong entropy and viscous interactions in the flow field. Notwithstanding the tremendous advancements in numerical modeling in the last decade separated hypersonic flow still remains an area where considerable differences are observed between experiments and numerical results. Lack of reliable data base of surface static pressures with good spatial resolution in hypersonic separated flow field is one of the main motivations for the present study. The experiments in hypersonic shock tunnels has an advantage compared to wind tunnels for simulating the total energy content of the flow in addition to the Mach and Reynolds numbers. However the useful test time in shock tunnels is of the order of few milliseconds. Hence in shock tunnel experiments it is essential to have pressure measurement devices which has special features such as small in size, faster response time and the sensors in array form with improved spatial resolutions. Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is an emerging technology, which holds lot of promise in these types of applications. In view of the above requirement, MEMS based pressure sensor array was developed to measure the static pressure distribution. The study is comprised of two parts: one is on the development of MEMS based pressure sensor array, which can be used for hypersonic application and other is on experimental static pressure measurement using MEMS based sensors in separated hypersonic flow over a backward facing step model. Initially a static pressure sensor array with 25 sensors was developed. The static calibration of sensor array was carried out to characterize the sensor array for various characteristic parameters. The preliminary experimental study with cluster of 25 MEMS sensor array mounted on the flat plate did not provide reliable and repeatable results, but gave valuable inputs on the typical problems of using MEMS sensors in short duration hypersonic ground test facilities like shock tunnels. Incidentally, to the best of our knowledge this is first report on use of MEMS based pressure sensors in hypersonic shock tunnel. Later cluster of 5 sensor array was developed with improved electronic packaging and surface finish. The experiments were conducted with flat plate by mounting 5 sensor array shows good agreement in static pressure measurement compared with standard sensors. In the second part of the study a backward facing step model, which simulates the typical gasdynamic flow features associated with hypersonic flow separation is designed. Backward facing step model with step height of 3 mm was mounted with sensor array along the length of model. Just after the step, static pressure measurements were carried out with MEMS sensors. It is important to note that, in the space available in backward facing step model we could mount only one conventional Kulite pressure transducer. The experiments were conducted at Mach number of 6.3 and at stagnation enthalpy of 1.5 MJ/kg in hypersonic shock tunnel (HST-5) at IISc. Based on the static pressure measurement on backward facing step, the location of separation and reattachment points were clearly identified. The static pressure values show that reattachment of flow takes place at about 7 step heights. Numerical simulations were carried out using commercial CFD code, FLUENT for flat plate and backward facing step models to compliment the experiments. The experimental tests results match well with the illustrative numerical simulations results.

With the age of hypersonic flight imminent just beyond the horizon, researchers are working hard at designing work-arounds for all the major problems as well as the minor quirks associated with it. One such issue, seemingly innocuous but one that could be potentially deadly, is the problem of interference heating due to surface protuberances. Although an ideal design of the external surfaces of a high-speed aircraft dictates complete smoothness to reduce drag, this is not always possible in reality. Control surfaces, sheet joints, cable protection pads etc. generate surface discontinuities of varying geometries, in the form of both protrusions as well as cavities. These discontinuities are most often small in dimension, comparable to the local boundary layer thickness at that location. Such protuberances always experience high rates of heat transfer, and therefore should be appropriately shielded. However, thermal shielding of the protrusions alone is not a full solution to the problem at hand. The interference caused to the boundary layer by the flow causes the generation of local hot spots in the vicinity of the protuberances, which should be properly mapped and adequately addressed. The work presented in this thesis aims at locating and measuring the heat flux values at these hot spots near the protrusions, and possibly formulating empirical correlations to predict the hot spot heat flux for a given set of flow conditions and protrusion geometry. Experimental investigations were conducted on a flat plate model and a cone model, with interchangeable sharp and blunt nose tips, with attached 3D protuberances. Platinum thin-film sensors were placed around the protrusion so that the heat fluxes could be measured in its vicinity and the hottest spot located. These experiments were carried out at five different hypersonic free stream flow conditions generated using two shock tunnels, one of the conventional type, and the other of the free-piston driven type. The geometry of the protrusions, i.e., the height and the deflection angle, was also parametrically varied to study its effect on the hot spot heat flux. The results thus obtained for the flat plate case were compared to existing correlations in the open literature from a similar previous study at a much higher Reynolds number range. Since a mismatch was observed between the results of the current experiments and the existing correlations, a new empirical correlation has been developed to predict the hot spot heat flux, that is valid within the range of flow conditions studied here. A similar attempt was made for the case of the cone model, for which no previous correlations exist in the open literature. However, a global correlation covering the entire range of flow conditions used here could not be formed. A correlation that is valid for just one out of the five flow conditions used here is presented for the cones with sharp and blunt nose tips separately. Schlieren flow visualization was carried out to obtain a better understanding of the shock structures near the protuberances on both models. For most cases, where the protrusion height and deflection angle were large enough to cause flow separation immediately upstream of the protuberance, a separation shock was manifested which deflected some part of the boundary layer above the protuberance, while the rest of the fluid in the boundary layer entered a recirculating region in the separated zone before escaping to the side. Some preliminary computational analysis was conducted which confirmed this qualitatively. However, the quantitative match of surface heat flux between the simulations and experiments were not encouraging. Schlieren visualization revealed that for the flat plate case, the foot of the separation shock was located at a distance of 10.5 to 12 times the protrusion height ahead of it, whereas in the case of the sharp cone, it was at a distance of 9 to 10.5 times the protrusion height. The unsteady nature of the separation shock was also captured and addressed. Some preliminary experiments on boundary layer tripping were also conducted, the results of which have been presented here. From this analysis, it has become evident that a single global correlation cannot be formed which could be used for a wide range of flow conditions to predict the hot spot heat flux in interference interactions. The entire range of conditions that may be encountered during hypersonic flight has to be broken down into sections, and the interference heating pattern should be studied in each of these sections individually. By doing so, a series of different correlations can be formed at the varying flow conditions which will then be available for high-speed aircraft designers.

Shock-shock interactions are among the most basic gas-dynamic problem, and are almost unavoidable in any high speed light, where shock waves generating from different sources crosses each other paths. These interactions when present very close to the solid surface lead to very high pressure and thermal loads on the surface. The related practical problem is that experienced at the cowl lip of a scramjet engine, where the interfering shock waves leads to high heat transfer rates which may also lead to the damage of the material. The classification by Edney (1968) on the shock-shock interaction patterns based on the visualization has since then served the basis for such studies. Though the problem of high heating on the surface in the vicinity of the shock-shock interactions has been studied at length at supersonic Mach numbers, the study on the topic at the hypersonic Mach numbers is little sparse. Even in the studies at hypersonic Mach numbers, the high speeds are not simulated, which is the measure of the kinetic energy of the ow. Very few experimental studies have addressed this problem by simulating the energy content of the ow. Also, some of the numerical studies on the shock-shock interactions suggest the presence of unsteadiness in the shock-shock interaction patterns as observed by Edney (1968), though this observation is not made very clearly in the experimental studies undertaken so far. In the present study, experiments are carried out in a conventional shock tunnel at Mach number of 5.62 (total enthalpy of 1.07 MJ/kg; freestream velocity of 1361 m/s), with the objective of mapping the surface pressure distribution and surface convective heat transfer rate distribution on the hemispherical body in the presence of the shock-shock interactions. A shock generator which is basically a wedge of angle = 25 , is placed at some dis-dance in front of the hemispherical body such that the planar oblique shock wave from the shock generator hits the bow shock wave in front of the hemi-spherical body. The relative distance between the wedge tip and the nose of the hemispherical body is allowed to change in di erent experiments to capture the whole realm of shock-shock interaction by making the planar oblique shock wave interact with the bow shock wave at different locations along its trajectory. The study results in a bulk of data for the surface pressure and heat transfer rates which were obtained by placing 5 kulites pressure transducers, 1 PCB pressure transducer and 21 platinum thin lm gauges along the surface of the hemispherical body in a plane normal to the freestream velocity direction. Along with the measurement of the surface pressure and the surface heat transfer rates, the schlieren visualization is carried out to capture the shock waves, expansion fans, slip lines, present in a certain shock-shock interaction pattern and the measured values were correlated with the captured schlieren images to evaluate the ow build up and steady and useful test time thereby helping in understanding the ow physics in the presence of the shock-shock interactions. From the present study it has been observed that in the presence of Edney Type-I and Edney Type-II interaction, the heat transfer rates on the hemi-spherical body are symmetrical about the centerline of the body, with the peak heating at the centerline which drops towards the shoulder. For Edney Type-III, Edney Type-IV, Edney Type-V and Edney Type-VI interaction pattern, the distribution in not symmetrical and shifts in peak heat transfer rates being on the side of the hemispherical from which planar oblique shock wave is incident. Also, it is observed that for the interactions which appear within the sonic circle, Edney Type-III and Edney Type-IV, the heat transfer rates observe an unsteadiness, such that the gauges located close to the interaction region experiencing varying heat transfer rates during the useful test time of the shock tunnel. Few experiments were conducted at Mach 8.36 (total enthalpy of 1.29 MJ/kg; freestream velocity of 1555.25 m/s) and Mach 10.14 (total enthalpy of 2.67 MJ/kg; freestream velocity of 2258.51 m/s) for the con gurations representing Edney Type-III interaction pattern to further evaluate the unsteady nature observed at Mach 5.62 ows. The unsteadiness was evident in both the cases. It is realized that the short test times in the shock tunnels pose a constraint in the study of unsteady flow fields, and the use of tailored mode operation of shock tunnel can alleviate this constraint. Also, limited number of experiments in the present study, which are carried out in a Free Piston Shock Tunnel, helps to understand the need to conduct such study in high enthalpy test conditions.

A key component of research in the aerospace industry constitutes hypersonic flights (M>5) which includes the design of commercial high-speed aircrafts and development of rockets. Computational analysis becomes more important due to the difficulty in performing experiments and reliability of its results at these harsh operating conditions. There is an increasing demand from the industry for the accurate prediction of wall-shear and heat transfer with a low computational cost. Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) create the standard for accuracy, but its practical usage is difficult and limited because of its high cost of computation. The usage of Reynold's Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations provide an affordable gateway for industry to capitalize its lower computational time for practical applications. However, the presence of existing RANS turbulence closure models and associated wall functions result in poor prediction of wall fluxes and inaccurate solutions in comparison with high fidelity DNS data. In recent years, machine learning emerged as a new approach for physical modeling. This thesis explores the potential of employing Machine Learning (ML) to improve the predictions of wall fluxes for hypersonic turbulent boundary layers. Fine-grid RANS simulations are used as training data to construct a suitable machine learning model to improve the solutions and predictions of wall quantities for coarser meshes. This strategy eliminates the usage of wall models and extends the range of applicability of grid sizes without a significant drop in accuracy of solutions. Random forest methodology coupled with a bagged aggregation algorithm helps in modeling a correction factor for the velocity gradient at the first grid points. The training data set for the ML model extracted from fine-grid RANS, includes neighbor cell information to address the memory effect of turbulence, and an optimal set of parameters to model the gradient correction factor. The successful demonstration of accurate predictions of wall-shear for coarse grids using this methodology, provides the confidence to build machine learning models to use DNS or high-fidelity modeling results as training data for reduced-order turbulence model development. This paves the way to integrate machine learning with RANS to produce accurate solutions with significantly lesser computational costs for hypersonic boundary layer problems.

<p>The first force and moment measurements were conducted in the BAM6QT. Three 7-degree half-angle sharp cones were tested, one with base radius of 4.5 in. and two with base radius of 3.5 in. made out of different materials. Models were tested at 0 and 2 degrees angle of attack. Models were tested over a range of burst pressures and Reynolds numbers. Models were fitted onto a strain gauge, 6 component, internal, moment balance. Multiple assemblies were tested that mounted the balance in the BAM6QT. High-speed schlieren video was used to monitor flow conditions and track the movement of the tunnel and model. Three entries were performed in the BAM6QT. The improvement in data quality with each new entry is shown and the startup and running loads from entry 3 are analyzed.</p> <p>Startup loads were measured and are of importance in determining the load range needed to operate in the BAM6QT. Large startup loads up to 40X the running load were identified. Tunnel movement was measured and was used to approximate the inertial loading during startup and the run. The inertial loading was not found to be the cause of the large startup loads. Schlieren video was used to qualitatively review the startup flow. It was found the large startup loads in axial force were plausibly from the high-pressure subsonic flow evacuating the nozzle. For normal force and pitching moment, the startup loads peak at a different time than axial force and appear to be from a shock-shock interaction nearby the model. Trends in startup load with changing model geometry, AoA, and burst pressure were put together to form an empirical estimation for startup loads sharp cones. </p> <p>Running loads were profiled and found to be trending with burst pressure and model geometry similarly to Newtonian flow theory predictions. However, due to the lack of a base pressure measurement, the results are uncorrected for sting effects and differ from Newtonian flow theory by a scalar. A 5.3 Hz oscillation in axial force was identified. The frequency of the oscillation is the same as the frequency of the quasi-steady flow periods caused by the reflection of the expansion fan in the driver tube. Normal force during the running load was found to be measuring positive loads when at 0 degrees angle of attack. Both the axial and normal force phenomena were unexpected and were investigated but both require further research. </p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p>

<p>  </p> <p>As space agencies look to conduct more scientific missions beyond Earth orbit, low-cost access to space becomes indispensable. Small satellites (smallsats) fulfill this need as they can be developed at a fraction of the cost of traditional large satellites. Consequently, smallsats are being envisioned for planetary science missions at several destinations including Mars. However, a significant challenge for interplanetary smallsats is performing fully-propulsive orbit insertion because modern smallsat propulsion technologies have limited total velocity change capabilities. At destinations with significant atmospheres, this challenge can be circumvented via <em>aerocapture</em>, a technique that uses a single atmospheric pass to convert a hyperbolic approach trajectory into a captured elliptical orbit. Aerocapture has been shown to enable significant propellant mass savings as compared to fully-propulsive orbit insertion, making it an attractive choice for smallsats. Performing aerocapture with smallsats requires a suitable vehicle design that satisfies the associated control requirements and volumetric constraints. To address this requirement, this dissertation proposes the <em>morphable entry system </em>(MES), a conceptual deployable entry vehicle that utilizes shape morphing to follow a desired atmospheric flight profile during aerocapture. The aerocapture performance of the MES at Mars is investigated using a six degree-of-freedom aerocapture simulation environment. The shape morphing strategy employed by the MES is shown to be feasible for targeting desired angle of attack and sideslip angle profiles that lead to successful orbit captures. Furthermore, the robustness of the MES to simulated day-of-flight uncertainties while employing angle of attack control is demonstrated through a Monte Carlo dispersion analysis. The major contributions of this research as well as areas of future work are described.</p>

<p>Nanosecond spark plasma actuators provide an opportunity to reduce pollutants by promoting efficient combustion in engines or provide targeted, tunable, flow control over vehicles, due to their ability to influence flow and combustion through multiple mechanisms. The plasma actuators can be physically unobtrusive, can be turned on and off and their low duty cycle, large bandwidth, and light weight make them more appealing than other control approaches. One method by which these plasma actuators interact with the environment is by inducing a complex local flow field and in order, to design scalable, high frequency actuators effectively, it is necessary to first understand the flow induced by a single spark discharge. Most experimental analysis on the flow induced by spark discharges has been restricted to qualitative descriptions of the flow field, primarily due to the difficulties associated with measuring such a transient and highly complex flow with sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Quantitative, experimental characterization of the flow induced by a spark discharge remains lacking. </p><p> </p><p>A spark discharge produces a shock wave and a hot gas kernel with a complex flow field following the shock. In this work, combined experimental and theoretical characterization of the spark induced flow is performed through a series of high spatiotemporal resolution measurements of the density and velocity fields and reduced-order modeling. The work investigates the mechanisms driving the cooling and vorticity generation in spark induced flow and the 3D nature of the flow field. Planar (2D-3C) and volumetric (3D-3C) velocity measurements are taken using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (SPIV) and tomographic PIV, respectively. Density measurements are taken using background oriented schlieren (BOS) and high speed schlieren imaging is used to capture the shock wave induced by the spark.</p><p> </p><p>The work shows that spark plasma discharges induce vortex rings whose vorticity is likely generated due to baroclinic torque arising from the non-uniform strength of the induced shock wave. The hot gas kernel cools in two stages: an initially fast cooling regime, followed by a slower cooling process. Reduced order analytical models are developed to describe the cooling observed in the fast regime and the role of the vortex rings in the entrainment of cold ambient gas and the cooling of the hot gas kernel. The results show that the vortex rings entrain ambient gas and drive cooling in the fast, convective regime, cooling approximately 50% of the hot gas within the first millisecond of the induced flow. An increase in the electrical energy deposited in the spark gap increases the shock strength and curvature and increases the vortex ring strength, thereby increasing the cooling rate and expansion of the hot gas kernel. The volumetric velocity measurements capture one of the two induced vortex rings and provide a framework for the improvements needed in future tomographic PIV experiments of the spark induced flow field, necessary in assessing the 3D nature of the induced vortex rings.</p><p> </p><p> The results of this work provide the first set of quantitative, experimental data on flow induced by nanosecond spark discharges that can be used for validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The results demonstrate that spark plasmas induce vortex ring-driven mixing flows and the results on mixing and cooling of the hot gas kernel can be extended to any passive scalars present in the flow field as well as inform pulsation frequencies and actuator designs for flow and combustion control. The results from the reduced order modeling can inform future studies and applications of nanosecond spark discharges and can be extended to a variety of other types of plasma discharges like laser sparks, long duration sparks and surface discharges with similar induced flow fields.<br></p>

<p>The purpose of this research was to determine what components of a complex centrifugal  compression system inlet needed to be modelled to accurately predict the swirl and total pressure  distortions at the compressor face. Two computational models were developed. A full-fidelity case  where all the inlet geometry was modelled and a reduced model where a small portion of the inlet  was considered. Both the numerical cases were compared with experimental data from a research  compressor rig developed by Honeywell Aerospace. The test apparatus was designed with a  modular inlet system to develop swirl distortion patterns. The modular inlet system utilized  transposable baffles within the radial-to-axial section of the inlet and blockage plates of varying  sizes and geometries at the inlet to this section.  Discerning the dominant inlet component that dictates distortion behavior at the compressor  face would allow the reduced modelling of inlet components for compression systems and would  allow coupling with more tortuous systems. Furthermore, it would reduce the design iteration and  simulation time of the inlet systems. Several investigations utilizing a reduced model only  considering a radial-to-axial inlet are available in literature, but no comprehensive justification has  been presented as to the impact this has on the distortion behavior.   Experimental surveys of flow conditions just upstream of the inducer of the centrifugal  compressor were conducted at several operating conditions. The highest and lowest mass flow  rates of these operating points were simulated using ANSYS CFX 2020R1 for both the  computational models. Multiple inlet configurations were simulated to test the robustness of the  reduced model in comparison to the full fidelity. The numerical simulations highlighted  shortcomings of the instrumentation used to characterize the experimental flow field at the inducer,  particularly with respect to total pressure distortion. Furthermore, transient pressure data were  measured in experiment and indicated unsteady fluctuations in the inlet that would not be captured  by steady computational fluid dynamic simulations. These data matched locations of disagreement  with swirl distortion behavior at high mass flow rates. This suggested that transient vortex  movement occured at the aerodynamic interface plane in certain configurations.   The total pressure distortion metrics between the two models were remarkably comparable.  Furthermore, the simplified model accurately predicted the mixing losses associated with the  blockage plates at the inlet to the radial-to-axial inlet using a simple inlet extension. Swirl  18  distortion was dictated by the radial-to-axial inlet. The reduced model data trends were comparable  with experiment for both the baffle and blocker plate configurations. The swirl intensities for all  configurations were comparable between the two models. The reduced model swirl directivity  trends matched those of experiment. The most notable deviations between the full-fidelity model  and the reduced model were observed with swirl directivity numerics. </p>