Influences of Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions in Hypersonic Intakes

The study investigates shock/boundary-layer interactions (SBLIs) in hypersonic intakes, highlighting their impact on engine performance. Utilizing ANSYS Fluent for computational analysis, it explores shock structure and static pressure and temperature variations. At Mach 5.7 and Mach 7, the highest wall pressure occurs at the cowl corner without a separation bubble, while the ramp surface shows a separation bubble with a second peak in wall pressure. The maximum wall temperature is near the cowl corner, increasing with Mach numbers. Interactions between shock waves and boundary layers within supersonic and hypersonic intakes are critical areas of study due to their high-speed flows applications. Shock/Boundary-Layer Interactions (SBLIs) can result in significant losses of total pressure, the formation of large separation bubbles, substantial temperature increases, and considerable fluctuations in both pressure and temperature. These effects are particularly pronounced in hypersonic regimes, where the interactions become more severe, potentially hampering engine performance and even leading to engine failure. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly investigate the SBLI phenomenon in hypersonic intakes to accurately assess its impacts. This study conducts a computational analysis of SBLI within hypersonic intakes using the commercial finite volume solver ANSYS Fluent. The study presents the shock structure within the intake as a qualitative observation and displays the static pressure and temperature contours for whole computational domain. Additionally, the surface pressure on the ramp and cowl surfaces is analyzed for intakes operating at Mach 5.7 and Mach 7. The static temperatures along the ramp surfaces at these Mach numbers are also compared. Interestingly, while the highest wall pressure occurs at the cowl corner, no separation bubble is observed in that region. Instead, the separation bubble forms on the ramp surface, where the wall pressure reaches its second peak. The higher wall pressure at increased Mach numbers is attributed to the greater shock strength at higher hypersonic speeds. The static temperature profiles show that the maximum wall temperature is located near the cowl corner where the shock impinges. Notably, the wall temperature is higher on the ramp surface and increases further at higher Mach numbers.