Lessons Learnt from the Simulations of Aero-Engine Ground Vortex
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Case Setup
2.1. Spalart–Allmaras Model
2.2. Realisable Model
2.3. Shear Stress Transport Model
3. Data Post-Processing
3.1. DC60
3.2. Circulation
3.3. Q-Criterion
4. Case Validation
4.1. Mesh Resolution
4.1.1. Mesh A
4.1.2. Mesh B
4.2. Turbulence Model
4.3. Inflow Turbulence Strength
4.4. Thickness of the Inflow Boundary Layer
5. Flow Structure of the Ground Vortex
6. Discussions and Conclusions
- Mesh density is important for the simulation to accurately capture the total pressure loss and vorticity of the ground vortex as well as its position from the ground to the AIP surface. It is found that the mesh refinement is more remarkable for the cases with lower crosswind speed. In addition, it is considered that high-order schemes can also improve the CFD results and obtain better matches with the experimental data.
- Three most commonly used turbulence models with RANS are tested to demonstrate their performance. The computations with SST model can provide more detailed flow structures than the other two; though, the predictions of the total pressure loss at the AIP and the circulation near the ground for all three models are almost the same. SA turbulence model can reproduce the ground vortex with large crosswind speed and accurately predict the DC60. If the lowest total pressure value at the AIP is of interest, DDES with SST turbulence model should be used. In addition, DDES can obtain better prediction results in terms of the ground vortex circulation.
- The thickness of the boundary layer has almost no influence on the strength of the ground vortex in the simulation, and this further confirms the observation in the experiments. The circulation of the ground vortex seems to be unrelated to the turbulence strength. However, the distortion index decreases with the increment of the turbulence strength.
- The circulation of the trailing vortex and the ground vortex is equal, which further validates the finding in the experiments.
- The flow field with ground vortex is analysed to show the complex vortex system. Near-ground vortices are formed due to the interactions among the intake, crosswind and the ground vortex. The slice through the ground vortex indicates that its structure is similar to a tornado, where the vertical speed is very weak within the vortex core. The centre temperature of the vortex core can flow a lot due to the air acceleration.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Nomenclatures
Average inlet flow velocity | |
Crosswind velocity | |
Vertical distance from the lowest point of the highlight plane to the ground | |
Intake highlight diameter | |
AIP | Aerodynamic interface plane |
SPIV | Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry |
Circulation | |
Non-dimensional vortex strength | |
Anti-symmetric components of the velocity gradient tensor | |
Symmetric components of the velocity gradient tensor | |
Q | Q-criterion value |
Circumferential angle | |
Radius of the vortex core | |
Total pressure at the AIP | |
Total pressure of the free stream | |
RANS | Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes |
Thickness of the boundary layer | |
LES | Large eddy simulation |
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Case | Pt (Pa) | Tt (K) | (m/s) | Ui/U∞ | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 100,880 | 290 | 9.92 | 18.3 | 1.46 |
2 | 100,910 | 290 | 20.0 | 9.1 | 1.46 |
3 | 100,970 | 290 | 30.2 | 6.1 | 1.46 |
4 | 101,000 | 290 | 35.4 | 5.2 | 1.46 |
5 | 101,000 | 290 | 39.0 | 4.6 | 1.43 |
6 | 101,000 | 290 | 45.0 | 4.0 | 1.42 |
Turbulence Strength | 0.1% | 1.0% | 5.0% | 10.0% |
---|---|---|---|---|
DC60 | 0.102 | 0.085 | 0.094 | 0.08 |
0.296 | 0.292 | 0.284 | 0.289 |
0.12 | 0.45 | 1.03 | |
---|---|---|---|
DC60 | 0.0393 | 0.0407 | 0.0364 |
0.268 | 0.281 | 0.270 |
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Zhang, W.; Yang, T.; Shen, J.; Sun, Q. Lessons Learnt from the Simulations of Aero-Engine Ground Vortex. Aerospace 2024, 11, 699. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090699
Zhang W, Yang T, Shen J, Sun Q. Lessons Learnt from the Simulations of Aero-Engine Ground Vortex. Aerospace. 2024; 11(9):699. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090699
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Wenqiang, Tao Yang, Jun Shen, and Qiangqiang Sun. 2024. "Lessons Learnt from the Simulations of Aero-Engine Ground Vortex" Aerospace 11, no. 9: 699. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11090699