Viscous–inviscid interactions in transonic flows through slender nozzles

Abstract

Considering the miniaturization trend in technical applications, the need of a slender nozzle theory for such conventional, that is ideal-gas-like, fluids, which accounts for a strong boundary-layer interaction with the core region, arises in quite a natural way as the dimensions of the flow device are successively reduced. Moreover, a number of modern technological processes (e.g. organic Rankine cycles) involve fluids with high molecular complexity, some of which are expected to exhibit embedded regions with negative values of the fundamental derivative in the vapour phase commonly termed Bethe–Zel'dovich–Thompson (BZT) fluids. Linked to it, unconventional Laval nozzle geometries are needed to transform subsonic to supersonic internal flows. In the present paper, the transonic flows through nozzles of short length scales located in a channel of constant cross-section so slender that the flow in the inviscid core region is one-dimensional are considered. Rapid streamwise changes of the flow field caused by the nozzle then lead to a local breakdown of the classical hierarchical boundary-layer approach, which is overcome by the triple-deck concept. Consequently, the properties of the inviscid core and the near-wall (laminar) boundary-layer regions have to be calculated simultaneously. The resulting problem is formulated for both regular (ideal-gas-like) fluids and dense gases. Differences and similarities of the resulting flow pattern with respect to the well-known classical Laval nozzle flow are presented for perfect gases, and the regularizing influence of viscous–inviscid interactions, is examined. Furthermore, the analogous problem is considered for BZT fluids in detail as well. The results indicate that the passage through the sonic point in the inviscid core is strongly affected by the combined influence of nozzle geometry and boundary-layer displacement effects suggesting in turn an inverse Laval nozzle design in order to obtain the desired flow behaviour.