Computational Evaluation of Turbulent Supersonic Jet Impinging on Inclined Plate

Abstract

A computational fluid dynamics investigation of a turbulent supersonic jet impacting a solid flat plate is conducted utilizing the OpenFOAM software. The research focuses on simulating the three-dimensional mean compressible flow for jet impingement on an inclined plate by analyzing the complex flow field and the surface distribution of pressure. Various simulations are carried out at a jet Mach number of 2.2 maintaining a constant nozzle-to-plate distance while varying the angle of inclination of the plate. In contrast to earlier numerical studies, this work employs a modern turbulence modeling technique known as detached eddy simulation (DES), along with a traditional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes model. Making a comparison with experimental findings, the current analysis reveals that both turbulence modeling techniques effectively predict the mean pressure distribution on the plate. However, the DES approach offers deeper insights into the turbulent flow field, showing notable consistency with the experiments. The complex compressible flow patterns are simulated with higher accuracy compared to the traditional approach. Enhanced turbulence resolution is attained by utilizing the same computational grid with a limited increase in computational complexity.