Flow field behind a complex total pressure distortion screen

Abstract

The flow field behind a complex total pressure distortion screen is investigated experimentally and numerically. The distortion screen is designed using an established design methodology and fabricated by water-jet cutting technique. The distorted total pressure field behind the screen is quantified by a distortion index parameter, which is evaluated from computations and experiments for several values of inlet Mach number. The root-mean-square error between the target total pressure values and that achieved by the screen design at the aerodynamic interface plane is 4.75%. The evolution of the distorted total pressure field downstream of the screen is presented in detail in terms of radial and circumferential total pressure distributions and their gradients. An alternative interpretation of the distorted total pressure field is made by means of defining a total pressure flux existing behind the screen and expanding it using derivative-moment transformation technique. It is seen that the circumferential vorticity is a major contributing factor to the total pressure flux.