Modelling of noise reduction in complex multistream jets

Abstract

The paper presents a low-order prediction scheme for the noise change in multistream jets when the nozzle geometry is altered from a known baseline. The essence of the model is to predict the changes in acoustics due to the redistribution of the mean flow as computed by a Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) solver. A RANS-based acoustic analogy framework is developed that addresses the noise in the polar direction of peak emission and uses the Reynolds stress as a time-averaged representation of the action of the coherent turbulent structures. The framework preserves the simplicity of the Lighthill acoustic analogy, using the free-space Green’s function, while accounting for azimuthal effects via special forms for the space–time correlation combined with source–observer relations based on the Reynolds stress distribution in the jet plume. Results are presented for three-stream jets with offset secondary and tertiary flows that reduce noise in specific azimuthal directions. The model reproduces well the experimental noise reduction trends. Principal mechanisms of noise reduction are elucidated.