EFFECT OF MICRO-VORTEX GENERATOR GEOMETRY ON SEPARATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPERSONIC INLET

Abstract

Shock boundary layer interaction (SBLI) for supersonic inlet can cause flow separation which can lead to increased drag, unstart conditions resulting in reduction in performance and efficiency. One of the important techniques of SBLI mitigation is use of micro-vortex generator (MVG) located upstream of the shock impingement in order to control the flow separation. In the current study, effect of shape of MVGs is studied using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The supersonic inlet flow with and without MVGs is simulated using ANSYS Fluent CFD Software. Shock generated due to cowl generates an adverse pressure gradient causing flow separation inside the inlet. The presence of MVG generates vortices energizing the boundary layer and thus reducing the separation length.