Numerical Analysis of Pure and Blended Fuel Sonic Jets in a Mach 2 Crossflow

TL;DR

This study uses high-fidelity simulations to analyze how different fuels affect flow structures and mixing in a Mach 2 crossflow with a sonic jet, providing insights for advanced propulsion design.

Contribution

It investigates the influence of ten diverse fuels on supersonic jet-crossflow interactions using LES, highlighting fuel-specific effects on flow dynamics and mixing.

Findings

Fuel properties significantly alter vortex structures and mixing patterns.

Molecular weight and heat capacity ratio impact turbulence and entrainment.

Synthetic and alternative fuels show distinct flow behaviors compared to conventional fuels.

Abstract

The injection of transverse jets into supersonic compressible crossflows represents a fundamental configuration relevant to a spectrum of high-speed applications. The intricate interactions arising between the crossflow and the injected jet induce complex flow phenomena, including shock waves and vortical structures, the characteristics of which are significantly contingent upon the thermophysical properties of the injected fuel. While prior investigations have addressed the influence of various fuels, a knowledge gap persists concerning the behaviour of alternative and synthetic multicomponent fuels within this flow regime. The present work employs high-fidelity large-eddy simulations (LES) to examine the impact of ten distinct fuels-hydrogen, methane, ethylene, ammonia, syngas mixture, and a synthetic blend, alongside several NH3/H2/N2 mixtures-on the macroscopic flow structures and mixing attributes within a transverse sonic jet immersed in a Mach 2 crossflow. By maintaining a uniform momentum flux ratio across the investigated cases, the study aims to isolate the influence of the unique thermophysical properties of each fuel on the windward mixing layer, a region critically important for initial entrainment processes. The investigation quantifies the effects of molecular weight, heat capacity ratio, and density on the development and evolution of coherent structures through a detailed examination of instantaneous flow fields, vortex dynamics, scalar distributions, and turbulence statistics. The results are expected to provide pertinent insights into fuel-dependent mixing mechanisms in supersonic flows, thereby contributing to the advancement of more efficient and versatile propulsion systems.