Modeling Jet-plate Interactions Using Large Eddy Simulations

Modern aircraft propulsion systems such as the ultra high bypass ratio turbofan impose constraints on engine installation below the wing, causing jet–wing interactions. Similar interactions are encountered when a jet-powered aircraft takes off on airport runway or aircraft carrier deck. High-speed jet flow near a solid surface shows markedly different turbulence characteristics compared with free jet, including attached turbulent jet and development of non-equilibrium boundary layer down- stream. Wall pressure fluctuations tend to be more unsteady and stronger, leading to increased vibration affecting aircraft cabin noise and modified jet noise radiation. Large-eddy simulation (LES) is useful to characterize turbulent jet flows over a solid surface as well as wall pressure distribution to promote physical understanding and modeling studies. In this study, LES is performed for an installed setup of a Mach 0.7 turbulent jet where the jet–plate distance is fixed at 2D where D is the nozzle-exit diameter. Unstructured-grid LES is used to validate the corresponding experiment (from literature). In addition, a high-fidelity numerical database is built for further analysis and modeling. Turbulence statistics and energy spectra show that agreement with the experimental measurement for the installed case is encouraging, paving a way for future analysis and modeling.