Numerical predictions of the flow characteristics of subsonic jet emanating from corrugated lobed nozzle

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of subsonic jet emanating from corrugated lobed nozzle. Design/methodology/approach Numerical simulations of subsonic turbulent jets from corrugated lobed nozzles using shear stress transport k-ω turbulence model have been carried out. The analysis was carried out by varying parameters such as lobe length, lobe penetration and lobe count at a Mach number of 0.75. The numerical predictions of axial and radial variation of the mean axial velocity, u′u′ ¯ and v′v′ ¯ have been compared with experimental results of conventional round and chevron nozzles reported in the literature. Findings The centreline velocity at the exit of the corrugated lobed nozzle was found to be lower than the velocity at the outer edges of the nozzle. The predicted potential core length is lesser than the experimental results of the conventional round nozzle and hence the decay in centreline velocity is faster. The centreline velocity increases with the increase in lobe length and becomes more uniform at the exit. The potential core length increases with the increase in lobe count and decreases with the increase in lobe penetration. The turbulent kinetic energy region is narrower with early appearance of a stronger peak for higher lobe penetration. The centreline velocity degrades much faster in the corrugated nozzle than the chevron nozzle and the peak value of Reynolds stress appears in the vicinity of the nozzle exit. Practical implications The corrugated lobed nozzles are used for enhancing mixing without the thrust penalty inducing better acoustic benefits. Originality/value The prominent features of the corrugated lobed nozzle were obtained from the extensive study of variation of flow characteristics for different lobe parameters after making comparison with round and chevron nozzle, which paved the way to the utilization of these nozzles for various applications.