The dynamics of the unstart process in inlet / isolator models mounted to the floor of a Mach 5 wind tunnel are investigated experimentally. The most extensively studied model has an inlet section that contains a 6-degree compression ramp and the isolator is a rectangular straight duct that is 25.4 mm high by 50.8 mm wide by 242.3 mm long. Unstart is initiated by raising a motor-driven flap that is located at the downstream end of the isolator section. Unstart proceeds with the formation of a shock system that propagates upstream at an average velocity of about 37 m/s (in the lab frame of reference), which is five percent of the freestream velocity. Unstart is seen to be associated with strong shock-induced separation that leads to reverse flow velocities up to about 300 m/s as measured by PIV. Both the schlieren imaging and PIV data suggest the dynamics and flow structure of the unstart process are dependent on inlet geometry. Furthermore, the PIV data indicate the unstart process to be highly three-dimensional. Finally, tripping the ceiling and sidewall boundary layers was seen to result in slower unstart processes. In addition, results are presented for 0-degree (no inlet) and 8-degree inlet / isolator models. In the 0-degree model, the experimental data show that the flow structure and propagation velocities of the unstart shock system are much more constant than those measured in unstart events with an inlet. In addition, an increased inlet compression angle appears to result in an increased unstart propagation velocity in the isolator. This is possibly related to the fact that with an increased compression ramp angle, the unstart shock system propagates against a lower momentum opposing flow. Furthermore, the inlet geometry is also seen to affect the flow that follows the unstart process. Experiments were also conducted with each of the three inlets attached to a shortened isolator. The short-isolator experiments showed it was possible to form a stable high-compression shock system in the isolator by raising the flap. This was not the case in longer isolator tests. / text

The main objective of this dissertation is to develop large-eddy simulation (LES) based computational tools for supersonic inlet and combustor design. In the recent past, LES methodology has emerged as a viable tool for modeling turbulent combustion. LES computes the large scale mixing process accurately, thereby providing a better starting point for small-scale models that describe the combustion process. In fact, combustion models developed in the context of Reynolds-averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations exhibit better predictive capability when used in the LES framework. The development of a predictive computational tool based on LES will provide a significant boost to the design of scramjet engines. Although LES has been used widely in the simulation of subsonic turbulent flows, its application to high-speed flows has been hampered by a variety of modeling and numerical issues. In this work, we develop a comprehensive LES methodology for supersonic flows, focusing on the simulation of scramjet engine components. This work is divided into three sections. First, a robust compressible flow solver for a generalized high-speed flow configuration is developed. By using carefully designed numerical schemes, dissipative errors associated with discretization methods for high-speed flows are minimized. Multiblock and immersed boundary method are used to handle scramjet-specific geometries. Second, a new combustion model for compressible reactive flows is developed. Subsonic combustion models are not directly applicable in high-speed flows due to the coupling between the energy and velocity fields. Here, a probability density function (PDF) approach is developed for high-speed combustion. This method requires solution to a high dimensional PDF transport equation, which is achieved through a novel direct quadrature method of moments (DQMOM). The combustion model is validated using experiments on supersonic reacting flows. Finally, the LES methodology is used to study the inlet-isolator component of a dual-mode scramjet. The isolator is a critical component that maintains the compression shock structures required for stable combustor operation in ramjet mode. We simulate unsteady dynamics inside an experimental isolator, including the propagation of an unstart event that leads to loss of compression. Using a suite of simulations, the sensitivity of the results to LES models and numerical implementation is studied. / text