Wake-Vortex/Plume Interaction

Description of problem

The adverse effects of the engine exhaust on the stratosphere and troposphere during cruise and holding conditions recently become of primary concern. A complex flow regime develops behind subsonic and supersonic civil transport aircrafts which include the exhaust jet plume and the wake vortices that entrain the exhaust plumes and eventually break-up producing exhaust-atmosphere mixing region. Understanding the adverse atmospheric effects of exhaust products from those aircrafts on the stratosphere and troposphere is essential.

For subsonic and supersonic regimes, the computations of vortex-wake interaction with the engine exhaust plume are carried out using overlapping zonal method for a long distance downstream.

Subsonic Flow Conditions Case

• Vortex-wake flow behind a Boeing 727 wing is assumed fully turbulent
• Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations with two-equations turbulence model is used
• Reynolds Number is 1 million and Mach Number is 0.3
• Center of tip-vortex is located at Y/s=0.76, Z/s=0.0
• Engine exhaust plume is located at Y/s=0.4, Z/s=-0.1
• Peak engine temperature is twice of the ambient
• Maxinium downstream distance is X/s=111.9

Color is temperature contours and line is crossflow-velocity contours

Movie (1650588 bytes, ~100 frames)

Supersonic Flow Conditions Case

• Vortex-wake flow behind a HSCT aircraft is assumed fully turbulent
• Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations with two-equations turbulence model is used
• Reynolds Number is 80 million and Mach Number is 2.4
• Vortex sheet is located at Y/s=0.0 to 1.0 with Z/s=0.0
• Two engine exhaust plumes are located at Y/s=0.3 and Y/s=0.6 with , Z/s=0.0
• Peak engine temperature is twice of the ambient
• Maxinium downstream distance is X/s=40

Color is temperature contours

Movie (221356 bytes, ~40 frames)

Acknowledgement

This work is supported by the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Methods Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center under Grant No. NAG-1-994, monitored by Dr. Chen-Huei Liu. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. Jim Thomas, head of the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Methods Branch, and Dr. William Grose, assistant head of the Theoretical Studies Branch, for their support of this research. The computational resources provided by the NAS facilities at Ames Research Center and the NASA Langley Research Center are appreciated and recognized.

Thanks are also extended to the research team:

• Prof. Osama A. Kandil
• Dr. Tin-Chee Wong
• Mr. Ihab G. Adam
• Dr. Chen-Huei Liu

for their contribution to this page. Download the AIAA paper on which this page is based.