Large Eddy Simulation of Laminar and Turbulent Shock/Boundary Layer Interactions in a Transonic Passage

Abstract

Abstract Shock/boundary layer interactions (SBLI) are a fundamental fluid mechanics problem relevant in a wide range of applications including transonic rotors in turbomachinery. This paper uses wall-resolved large eddy simulation (LES) to examine the interaction of normal shocks with laminar and turbulent inflow boundary layers in transonic flow. The calculations were performed using GENESIS, a high-order, unstructured LES solver. The geometry created for this study is a transonic passage with a convergent-divergent nozzle that expands the flow to the desired Mach number upstream of the shock and then introduces constant radius curvature to simulate local airfoil camber. The Mach numbers in the divergent section of the transonic passage simulate single stage commercial fan blades. The results predicted with the LES calculations show significant differences between laminar and turbulent SBLI in terms of shock structure, boundary layer separation and transition, and aerodynamic losses. For laminar flow into the shock, significant flow separation and low-frequency unsteadiness occur, while for turbulent flow into the shock, both the boundary layer loss and the low-frequency unsteadiness are reduced.