Showing papers on "Oblique shock published in 2013"

Simulations of Ion Acceleration at Non-relativistic Shocks. I. Acceleration Efficiency

Abstract: We use 2D and 3D hybrid (kinetic ions - fluid electrons) simulations to investigate particle acceleration and magnetic field amplification at non-relativistic astrophysical shocks. We show that diffusive shock acceleration operates for quasi-parallel configurations (i.e., when the background magnetic field is almost aligned with the shock normal) and, for large sonic and Alfv\'enic Mach numbers, produces universal power-law spectra proportional to p^(-4), where p is the particle momentum. The maximum energy of accelerated ions increases with time, and it is only limited by finite box size and run time. Acceleration is mainly efficient for parallel and quasi-parallel strong shocks, where 10-20% of the bulk kinetic energy can be converted to energetic particles, and becomes ineffective for quasi-perpendicular shocks. Also, the generation of magnetic turbulence correlates with efficient ion acceleration, and vanishes for quasi-perpendicular configurations. At very oblique shocks, ions can be accelerated via shock drift acceleration, but they only gain a factor of a few in momentum, and their maximum energy does not increase with time. These findings are consistent with the degree of polarization and the morphology of the radio and X-ray synchrotron emission observed, for instance, in the remnant of SN 1006. We also discuss the transition from thermal to non-thermal particles in the ion spectrum (supra-thermal region), and we identify two dynamical signatures peculiar of efficient particle acceleration, namely the formation of an upstream precursor and the alteration of standard shock jump conditions.

A quarter century of collisionless shock research

Abstract: This review highlights conceptual issues that have both governed and reflected the direction of collisionless shock research in the past quarter century. These include MHD waves and their steepening, the MHD Rankine-Hugoniot relations, the super-critical shock transition, nonlinear oscillatory wave trains, ion sound anomalous resistivity and the resistive-dispersive transition for subcritical shocks, ion reflection and the structure of supercritical quasi-perpendicular shocks, the earth's foreshock, quasi-parallel shocks, and finally, shock acceleration processes.

Control of oblique shock wave/boundary layer interactions using plasma actuators

Abstract: Localized arc filament plasma actuators (LAFPAs) are used for shock wave/boundary layer interaction induced separation control in a Mach 2.3 flow. The boundary layer is fully turbulent with a Reynolds number based on the incompressible momentum thickness of 22,000 and shape factor of 1.37, and the impinging shock wave is generated by a 10° compression ramp. The LAFPAs are observed to have significant control authority over the interaction. The main effect is the displacement of the reflected shock and most of the interaction region upstream by approximately one boundary layer thickness (~5 mm). The initial goal of the control was to manipulate the low-frequency (St~0.03) unsteadiness associated with the interaction region. A detailed investigation of the effect of actuator placement, frequency, and duty cycle on the control authority indicates the actuators’ primary control mechanism is not the manipulation of low-frequency unsteadiness. Detailed measurements and analysis indicate that a modification to the boundary layer through heat addition by the actuators is the control mechanism, despite the extremely small power input of the actuators.

Flow physics and RANS modelling of oblique shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction

Abstract: Large-eddy simulation (LES) is utilized to investigate flow physics and lower-fidelity modelling assumptions in the simulation of an oblique shock impinging on a supersonic turbulent boundary layer (OSTBLI). A database of LES solutions is presented, covering a range of shock strengths and Reynolds numbers, that is utilized as a surrogate-truth model to explore three topics. First, detailed conservation budgets are extracted within the framework of parametric investigation to identify trends that might be used to mitigate statistical (aleatory) uncertainties in inflow conditions. It is found, for instance, that an increase in Reynolds number does not significantly affect length of separation. Additionally, it is found that variation in the shock-generating wedge angle has the effect of increasing the intensity of low-frequency oscillations and moving these motions towards longer time scales, even when scaled by interaction length. Next, utilizing the LES database, a detailed analysis is performed of several existing models describing the low-frequency unsteady motion of the OSTBLI system. Most significantly, it is observed that the length scale of streamwise coherent structures appears to be dependent on Reynolds number, and at the Reynolds number of the present simulations, these structures do not exist on time scales long enough to be the primary cause of low-frequency unsteadiness. Finally, modelling errors associated with turbulence closures using eddy-viscosity and stress-transport-based Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are investigated. It is found that while the stress-transport models offer improved predictions, inadequacies in modelling the turbulence transport terms and the isotropic treatment of the dissipation is seen to limit their accuracy.

Pre-Stall Behavior of a Transonic Axial Compressor Stage Via Time-Accurate Numerical Simulation

Abstract: CFD calculations using high-performance parallel computing were conducted to simulate the pre-stall flow of a transonic compressor stage, NASA compressor Stage 35. The simulations were run with a full-annulus grid that models the 3D, viscous, unsteady blade row interaction without the need for an artificial inlet distortion to induce stall. The simulation demonstrates the development of the rotating stall from the growth of instabilities. Pressure-rise performance and pressure traces are compared with published experimental data before the study of flow evolution prior to the rotating stall. Spatial FFT analysis of the flow indicates a rotating long-length disturbance of one rotor circumference, which is followed by a spike-type breakdown. The analysis also links the long-length wave disturbance with the initiation of the spike inception. The spike instabilities occur when the trajectory of the tip clearance flow becomes perpendicular to the axial direction. When approaching stall, the passage shock changes from a single oblique shock to a dual-shock, which distorts the perpendicular trajectory of the tip clearance vortex but shows no evidence of flow separation that may contribute to stall.

On the interaction of shock waves and sound waves in transonic buffet flow

Abstract: To support Lee's buffet mechanism model [B. H. K. Lee, “Self-sustained shock oscillations on airfoils at transonic speeds,” Prog. Aerosp. Sci. 37, 147–196 (2001)10.1016/S0376-0421(01)00003-3], the sound wave propagation in the flow field outside the separation of a transonic buffet flow at a Mach number M∞ = 0.73 and an angle of attack α = 3.5° over a DRA 2303 supercritical airfoil is determined using high-speed particle-image velocimetry. Furthermore, the shock wave is influenced by an artificial sound source which evidently changes the shock oscillation properties. The dominant buffet mechanism is shown to be a feedback loop between the shock position and the noise generation at the trailing edge of the airfoil. The sound wave propagation speed is detected by correlating the surface pressure signals and the velocity fluctuations in the flow field. The quantitative results for the natural and the artificial sound source convincingly coincide and are in good agreement with a reformulated version of Lee's ...

Flowfield Characterization of a Rotating Detonation Engine

Abstract: A rotating detonation engine (RDE) at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has been modified to allow optical access to the annulus while in operation. High speed video of chemiluminescence was taken for three operating conditions to characterize the RDE flowfield. Two-dimensional representations of the entire RDE are presented to show basic flow structure. Detonation height, detonation angle, oblique shock wave angle, shear layer angle, and contact surface angle were measured. Average value for each of these measurements did not change drastically over the range tested, but large deviations of the values were observed. These considerable deviations of the flowfield point toward device variation as a major factor to be understood.

Flow control of an oblique shock wave reflection with micro-ramp vortex generators: effects of location and size

Abstract: The effects of micro-ramp height and location on a shock induced separation bubble were quantified using planar particle image velocimetry measurements. Conditional averaging was used to show that the amount of separation is related to the momentum flux in the near-wall region (< 0.5?) of the incoming boundary layer. The momentum flux added to this region scales linearly with micro-ramp height and larger microramps are shown to be more effective in stabilizing the interaction. Full boundary layer mixing is attained 5.? downstream of the micro-ramp and this forms a lower limit on the required distance between microramp and reflected shock foot.

Transonic Shocks for the Full Compressible Euler System in a General Two-Dimensional De Laval Nozzle

Abstract: In this paper, we study the transonic shock problem for the full compressible Euler system in a general two-dimensional de Laval nozzle as proposed in Courant and Friedrichs (Supersonic flow and shock waves, Interscience, New York, 1948): given the appropriately large exit pressure p e(x), if the upstream flow is still supersonic behind the throat of the nozzle, then at a certain place in the diverging part of the nozzle, a shock front intervenes and the gas is compressed and slowed down to subsonic speed so that the position and the strength of the shock front are automatically adjusted such that the end pressure at the exit becomes p e(x). We solve this problem completely for a general class of de Laval nozzles whose divergent parts are small and arbitrary perturbations of divergent angular domains for the full steady compressible Euler system. The problem can be reduced to solve a nonlinear free boundary value problem for a mixed hyperbolic–elliptic system. One of the key ingredients in the analysis is to solve a nonlinear free boundary value problem in a weighted Holder space with low regularities for a second order quasilinear elliptic equation with a free parameter (the position of the shock curve at one wall of the nozzle) and non-local terms involving the trace on the shock of the first order derivatives of the unknown function.

Oblique shock structures formed during the ablation phase of aluminium wire array z-pinches

Abstract: A series of experiments has been conducted in order to investigate the azimuthal structures formed by the interactions of cylindrically converging plasma flows during the ablation phase of aluminium wire array Z pinch implosions. These experiments were carried out using the 1.4 MA, 240 ns MAGPIE generator at Imperial College London. The main diagnostic used in this study was a two-colour, end-on, Mach-Zehnder imaging interferometer, sensitive to the axially integrated electron density of the plasma. The data collected in these experiments reveal the strongly collisional dynamics of the aluminium ablation streams. The structure of the flows is dominated by a dense network of oblique shock fronts, formed by supersonic collisions between adjacent ablation streams. An estimate for the range of the flow Mach number (M = 6.2-9.2) has been made based on an analysis of the observed shock geometry. Combining this measurement with previously published Thomson Scattering measurements of the plasma flow velocity by H...

Oblique, Parallel, and Quasi‐Parallel Morphology of Collisionless Shocks

Abstract: The question as to whether nonperpendicular, oblique shocks are disguised in the bow shock system by its infinite radius-of-curvature is addressed in light of the most recent data, which indicate that the quasi-perpendicular/quasi-parallel division is not merely real, but intrinsic An attempt is presently made to summarize observational results on nonperpendicular shocks with the express intention of understanding the shock as an interactive structure that is dependent on the geometry of shock propagation A foundation for the reconciliation of some rather complex or apparently contradictory quasi-parallel features is suggested

Dynamic Characteristics of Combustion Mode Transitions in a Strut-Based Scramjet Combustor Model

Abstract: T HE supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) engine is expected to be the most efficient propulsion system in the hypersonic flight regime [1]. Given the broad range of aerothermodynamic conditions experienced during hypersonic flight, the scramjet would operate under different combustionmodes [2], andmode transition is a critical phenomenon in designing such engines because the thrust and specific impulse of the fuel in each mode varies considerably. In much of the previous work, researchers experimentally achievedmode transition and investigated the static characteristics of different combustion modes. In the open literature, Billig [3] first demonstrated mode transition in ground tests. Heiser and Pratt [4] used a one-dimensional (1-D) analysis approach to comprehend the complex aerothermodynamics of a dual-mode combustion system. The flowfield can be illustrated for threemodes: scramjet with shockfree isolator and oblique shock train, and ramjet with normal shock train. Takahashi et al. [5] and Kouchi et al. [6] observed four different combustion modes with respect to the fuel flow rate, namely, blowout,weak combustion, strong combustion, and thermal choking. As the mode transition occurred, thrust and heat-flux distribution [7] varies considerably. Sullins [8] experimentally achieved the mode transition from a scramjet with a precombustion shock system having a high pressure ratio to a scramjet with no precombustion shock system by increasing the total temperature of airflow to simulate a real acceleration process. Micka and Driscoll [9] reported two distinct reaction zones in a combustor with wall injection and a cavity flameholder corresponding to jet wake stabilization and cavity stabilization. The reaction zonewas found to only appear in the cavity stabilized mode in the scramjet mode, even for conditions where the ramjet modewas jet-wake stabilized. Also, the spreading of scramjet mode combustion is significantly less than that of the ramjet mode. Masumoto et al. [10] investigated the effect of combustor length and total temperature on combustion modes and suggested the minimum combustor length to attain supersonic or dual-mode combustion. However, there have been few studies on the dynamic characteristics of combustion mode transition, and the open literature did not fully investigate the combustor performance changes with the fuel flow rate small changes (∼1 g∕s) near the critical conditions. One interesting phenomenon, rather different from the results available in the open literature, is that the wall pressure and thrust show obvious catastrophe near the critical point of combustion mode transition. The combustion mode transition depends on the path taken (i.e. the fuel flow rate is increasedordecreased).With the sameexternal parameters, the scramjet engine may be a different combustion mode, known as hysteresis effect according to the nonlinear dynamics theory. During hypersonic flight, itmay bringgreat difficulties to the precise control of the vehicle, have a great impact on the flight safety, and even cause a flight accident [11]. Therefore, the successful development of a scramjet engine depends on further understanding and control of the nonlinear mode transition process. In this research, particular attention was focused on the dynamic characteristics of combustion mode through ground tests, especially the nonlinear catastrophic and hysteresis phenomena. As known, the transition between ramjet and scramjet mode is determined from the magnitude of ΔT0∕T0;air (either by decreasing or increasing the amount of heat release). In this paper, we linearly changed the fuel mass flow rate along two adverse paths; that is, increased and decreased the fuel equivalence ratiowhile the rate of changewas held approximately constant. In particular, to obtain performance of the model combustor around the critical conditions in detail, the heat release was changed little by little every time (corresponding to an increase in fuel equivalence ratio of 0.0125). Compared to strut injection in the center of the combustor, the transverse wall injection disturbs the boundary layer significantly. The wall injection plume forms a barrel shock, and induces a bow shock that leads to separation and the formation of a recirculation region in front of the wall injection location. These unnecessary disturbances make it difficult to determine the exact mode transition mechanism [12]. Therefore, a central strut injector has been employed, which also improved fuel mixing in the supersonic core stream and combustion performance in supersonic combustors. Because the liquid hydrocarbon fuel has greater fuel densities and endothermic cooling capabilities than hydrogen, particularly for hypersonic vehicles limited to Mach 8 flight, kerosene was used as the fuel in this research.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Broadband Unsteadiness in a Shock/Boundary-Layer Interaction

Abstract: The simulation of low-frequency unsteadiness in shock wave/turbulent boundary-layer interactions constitutes a challenging case insofar as very long time integrations are required to describe these broadband motions at frequencies two orders of magnitude lower than those of the turbulent motions. A relatively low-cost numerical strategy is established in the present study. The use of quasi-spectral centered finite differences in conjunction with high-order selective filtering provides an efficient method for compressible large-eddy simulations based on explicit filtering regularization. This strategy is extended to flows containing discontinuities by switching between the high-order filter used in regular zones and a low-order filter acting selectively near the shock locations. The accuracy of the current strategy is assessed for a developing turbulent supersonic boundary layer. The case of an oblique shock wave impinging on a flat plate is then successfully validated against previous experimental and num...

Experimental characterization of the stagnation layer between two obliquely merging supersonic plasma jets.

Abstract: We present spatially resolved measurements characterizing the stagnation layer between two obliquely merging supersonic plasma jets. Intrajet collisionality is very high, but the interjet ion-ion mean free path is of the order of the stagnation layer thickness of a few centimeters. Fast-framing camera images show a double-peaked emission profile transverse to the stagnation layer, with the central emission dip consistent with a density dip in the interferometer data. We demonstrate that our observations are consistent with collisional oblique shocks.

Incident shock Mach number effects on Richtmyer-Meshkov mixing in a heavy gas layer

Abstract: Experiments were performed at the horizontal shock tube facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory to study the effect of incident shock Mach number (M) on the development of Richtmyer-Meshkov instability after a shock wave impulsively accelerates a varicose-perturbed, heavy-gas curtain. Three cases of incident shock strength were experimentally investigated: M = 1.21, 1.36, and 1.50. We discuss the state of the mixing and the mechanisms that drive the mixing at both large and small scales by examining the time evolution of 2D density fields derived from quantitative planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements. Several differences in qualitative flow features are identified as a result of Mach number variation, and differences in vortex interaction, observed using particle image velocimetry, play a critical role in the development of the flow field. Several quantities, including mixing layer width, mixing layer area, interface length, instantaneous mixing rate, the density self-correlation parameter, probability density functions of the density field, and mixing progress variables are examined as a function of time. These quantities are also examined versus time scaled with the convection velocity of the mixing layer. A higher incident Mach number yields greater mixing uniformity at a given downstream location, while a lower Mach number produces a greater amount of total mixing between the two gases, suggesting possible implications for optimization in applications with confined geometries.

A mechanism for unsteady separation in over-expanded nozzle flow

Abstract: Shock wave induced separation in an over-expanded planar nozzle is studied through numerical simulation. These Large-Eddy Simulations (LES) model previous experiments which have shown unsteady motion of the shock wave in flows with similar geometries but offered little insight into the underlying mechanism. Unsteady separation in nozzle flow leads to “side loads” in the rocket engine which can adversely affect the stability of the rocket. A mechanism for the low-frequency shock motion is identified and explained using the LES data. This mechanism is analyzed for a series of over-expanded planar nozzles of various area ratios and nozzle pressure ratios. The effect of grid resolution and Reynolds number on the instability is discussed. A simple reduced order model for the unsteady shock behavior is used to further validate the proposed mechanism. This model is derived from first principles and uses data from the LES calculations to capture the effects of the turbulent boundary layer and shear layer.

Oblique shock breakout in supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. I. Dynamics and observational implications

Abstract: In a non-spherical stellar explosion, non-radial motions become important near the stellar surface. For realistic deviations from spherical symmetry, non-radial flow dramatically alters the dynamics and emission of shock emergence on a significant fraction of the surface. The breakout flash is stifled, ejecta speeds are limited, and matter is cast sideways. Non-radial ejection allows for collisions outside the star, which may engender a new type of transient. Strongly oblique breakouts are most easily produced in compact stellar progenitors, such as white dwarfs and stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae. We study the shock structure and post-shock acceleration using conservation laws, a similarity analysis, and an approximate theory for oblique shocks. The shock is likely to extend vertically from the stellar surface, then kink before joining a deep asymptotic solution. Outflow from the region crossed by an oblique shock is probably unsteady and may affect the surface ahead of the main shock. We comment on the implications for several notable explosions in which the non-spherical dynamics described in this paper are likely to play an important role. We also briefly consider relativistic and superluminal pattern speeds.

Oblique Shock Breakout in Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts: I. Dynamics and Observational Implications

Abstract: In a non-spherical stellar explosion, non-radial motions become important near the stellar surface. For realistic deviations from spherical symmetry, non-radial flow dramatically alters the dynamics and emission of shock emergence on a significant fraction of the surface. The breakout flash is stifled, ejecta speeds are limited, and matter is cast sideways. Non-radial ejection allows for collisions outside the star, which may engender a new type of transient. Strongly oblique breakouts are most easily produced in compact stellar progenitors, such as white dwarfs and stripped-envelope core collapse supernovae. We study the shock structure and post-shock acceleration using conservation laws, a similarity analysis, and an approximate theory for oblique shocks. The shock is likely to extend vertically from the stellar surface, then kink before joining a deep asymptotic solution. Outflow from the region crossed by an oblique shock is probably unsteady and may affect the surface ahead of the main shock. We comment on the implications for several notable explosions in which the non-spherical dynamics described in this paper are likely to play an important role. We also briefly consider relativistic and superluminal pattern speeds.

Improvements in Modeling 90 Degree Bleed Holes for Supersonic Inlets

Abstract: The modeling of porous bleed regions as boundary conditions in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of supersonic inlet flows has been improved through a scaling of sonic flow coefficient data for 90-degree bleed holes. The scaling removed the Mach number as a factor in computing the sonic flow coefficient and allowed the data to be fitted with a quadratic equation with the only factor being the ratio of the plenum static pressure to the surface static pressure. This simplified the implementation of the bleed model into the Wind-US CFD flow solver by no longer requiring the evaluation of the flow properties at the edge of the boundary layer. The quadratic equation can be extrapolated to allow the modeling of small amounts of blowing, which can exist when recirculation of the bleed flow occurs within the bleed region. The improved accuracy of the bleed model was demonstrated through CFD simulations of bleed regions on a flat plate in supersonic flow with and without an impinging oblique shock. The bleed model demonstrated good agreement with experimental data and three-dimensional CFD simulations of bleed holes.

Corner effects in reflecting oblique shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions

Abstract: A separated oblique shock reflection on the floor of a rectangular cross-section wind tunnel has been investigated at M=2.5. The study aims to determine if and how separations occurring in the corners influence the main interaction as observed around the centreline of the floor. By changing the size of the corner separations through localised suction and small corner obstructions it was shown that the shape of the separated region in the centre was altered considerably. The separation length along the floor centreline was also modified by changes to the corner separation. A simple physical model has been proposed to explain the coupling between these separated regions based on the existence of compression or shock waves caused by the displacement effect of corner separation. These corner shocks alter the adverse pressure gradient imposed on the boundary-layer elsewhere which can lead to local reductions or increases of separation length. It is suggested that a typical oblique shock wave/boundary-layer interaction in rectangular channels features several zones depending on the relative position of the corner shocks and the main incident shock wave. Based on these findings the dependence of centre-line separation length on effective wind tunnel width is hypothesised. This requires further verification through experiments or computation. © 2013 by H. Babinsky.

Caveats for Using Shock Tube in Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury Research

Abstract: Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) is currently an important and very “hot” research topic because it has been acknowledged to be a significant source of morbidity and disability during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among blast victims. A total of 545 academic articles about blast TBI research have been published since 1946, of which 82% (447 articles) have been published since 2003, and 57% (312 articles) were published from 2010 to 2013. A number of experimental models are currently implemented to investigate the mechanisms of blast-induced TBI in rodents and larger animals such as rabbits and swine. As the fundamental shock wave generator, shock tubes (either compressed air-driven or detonation-driven) are generally employed in these experimental models. The compressed air-driven shock tube is a horizontally mounted, circular steel tube, in which a gas at low pressure (the driven gas) and a gas at high pressure (the driver gas) are separated using diaphragms (such as polyester Mylar membrane). After the diaphragm suddenly ruptures at predetermined pressure thresholds (e.g., 126–147 kPa), shock waves are generated and propagate through the low pressure section (the driven section) toward the mouth of the shock tube. The detonation-driven shock tube is a cylindrical metal tube that is closed at one end. The blast, causing the shock waves, is generated by detonation of an explosive charge in the closed end of the tube. Both compressed air-driven and detonation-driven shock tubes can produce blast shock waves to induce blast injuries in animals. However, because of their designs and structures, both shock tubes are not able to generate the Friedlander wave (an ideal form of a primary blast wave) that occurs when a powerful explosive detonates in a free field, without nearby surfaces that can interact with the wave. A series of complex shock waves are then generated following the lead shock wave (the original shock front), including reflected shock waves, a Mach stem, an unsteady turbulent jet, and rarefaction waves. These waves can cause sudden compression or rarefaction effects upon any object encountered in their motion path, and transfer kinetic energy to the object. Therefore, if an experimental animal is placed inside the shock tube, these complex pressure waves will cause more severe and complex injuries that are rarely observed in blast victims, thus leading to false-positive results in the studies of blast TBI mechanism.

Studies on the influence of steady microactuators on shock-wave/boundary layer interaction

Abstract: An array of high-momentum microjets are used upstream of a compression corner to control the shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction on a 24 deg unswept compression ramp in a Mach 2 flow. Measurements include schlieren flow visualization and unsteady pressure measurements using fast-response pressure sensors of the interaction region. Results show that the array of microjets issuing in the supersonic crossflow create oblique shocks, which effectively reduce the incoming Mach number at the compression corner. This leads to a modified separation shock of significantly reduced strength. The location of the modified shock is moved upstream by as much as 4δ0 from its mean undisturbed location. The mean pressure distribution on the surface is altered with microjet control leading to a more gradual compression of the incoming flow relative to the separation shock without control. The wall-pressure fluctuations in the interaction region are reduced by approximately 50%, and the flow near the compression corner appe...

Single- and dual-band collection toluene PLIF thermometry in supersonic flows

Abstract: Toluene PLIF has been applied to image temperature in supersonic flowfields containing shock waves. Single- and dual-camera imaging schemes with a single excitation wavelength (266 nm) are presented, and the dual-camera scheme is optimized for imaging temperature from 300 to 900 K. The single-camera technique is implemented to verify the diagnostic and image temperature in uniform pressure, uniformly seeded flowfields; calibration is done using the signal ratio measured across an oblique shock wave of known Mach number. The dual-camera technique utilizes the redshift of toluene fluorescence with increasing temperature for temperature imaging in non-uniform pressure and temperature flowfields. Both single- and dual-camera techniques are verified and demonstrated by imaging the flow behind normal shock waves and oblique shock waves, and the dual-camera technique is further extended to image temperature in the non-uniform pressure and temperature field behind a bow shock. Good agreement is observed between the measured and expected temperature distributions calculated from ideal shock relations or CFD solutions. The accuracy of each technique is also evaluated; for dual-camera thermometry, SNR in temperature ranging from 25 at 300 K to 15 at 900 K is observed in single-shot temperature images.

Large-eddy simulation of shock-cooling-film interaction at helium and hydrogen injection

Abstract: Laminar helium and hydrogen films at a Mach number 1.3 are injected through a slot into a fully turbulent freestream air flow at a Mach number 2.44. To numerically study by large-eddy simulations the impact of an impinging shock on various cooling films, first, reference solutions without shock impingement are computed and then, the helium and hydrogen cooling films interacting with an oblique shock at a pressure ratio of p3/p1 = 2.5 are analyzed. The comparison of the helium and hydrogen injections without shock shows the hydrogen injection to have a 1.14-fold better cooling effectiveness at 60% of the blowing rate of the helium injection. The shock-cooling-film interaction causes a massive separation bubble that is 23% larger at the hydrogen than at the helium injection. Nevertheless, the shock influenced cooling effectiveness at the hydrogen injection is only 30% reduced compared to a 40% decrease at the helium injection 100 slot heights downstream of the injection. The intense mixing in the shock-cool...

Effects of the injector geometry on a sonic jet into a supersonic crossflow

Abstract: Large-eddy simulation of a sonic injection from circular and elliptic injectors into a supersonic crossflow has been performed. The effects of injector geometry on various fundamental mechanisms dictating the intricate flow phenomena including shock/jet interaction, jet shear layer vortices and their evolution, jet penetration properties and the relevant turbulence behaviors have been studied systematically. As a jet issuing transversely into a supersonic crossflow, salient three-dimensional shock and vortical structures, such as bow, separation and barrel shocks, Mach disk, horseshoe vortex, jet shear layer vortices and vortex pairs, are induced. The shock structures exhibit considerable deformations in the circular injection, while their fluctuation becomes smaller in the elliptic injection. The jet shear layer vortices are generated at the jet periphery and their evolution characteristics are analyzed through tracing the centroid of these coherent structures. It is found that the jet from the elliptic injector spreads rapidly in the spanwise direction but suffers a reduction in the transverse penetration compared to the circular injection case. The turbulent fluctuations are amplified because of the jet/crossflow interaction. The vertical Reynolds normal stress is enhanced in the downstream of the jet because of the upwash velocity induced by the counter-rotating vortex pair.

Active galactic nuclei jets and multiple oblique shock acceleration: starved spectra

Abstract: Context. Shocks in jets and hot spots of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are one prominent class of possible sources of very high-energy cosmic-ray particles (above 1018 eV). Extrapolating their spectrum to their plausible injection energy from some shock implies an enormous hidden energy for a spectrum of index ~−2. Some analyses suggest the particles’ injection spectrum at source to be as steep as −2.4 to −2.7, which exacerbates the problem, by a factor of 106 . Nevertheless, it seems implausible that more than at the very best 1/3 of the jet energy goes into the required flux of energetic particles, thus one would need to allow for the possibility that there is an energy problem, which we would like to address in this work.Aims. Sequences of consecutive oblique shock features, or conical shocks, have been theoretically predicted and eventually observed in many AGN jets. Based on that, we use by analogy the Comptonization effect and propose a scenario of a single injection of particles consecutively accelerated by several oblique shocks along the axis of an AGN jet.Methods. We developed a test-particle approximation Monte Carlo simulations to calculate particle spectra by acceleration at such a shock pattern while monitoring the efficiency of acceleration by calculating differential spectra.Results. We find that the first shock of a sequence of oblique shocks establishes a low-energy power-law spectrum with ~E -2.7 . The following consecutive shocks push the spectrum up in energy, rendering flatter distributions with steep cut-offs, and characteristic depletion at low energies, which could explain the puzzling apparent extra source power.Conclusions. Our numerical calculations show a variation of spectral indices, a general spectral flattening, and starved spectra, which connect to the relativistic nature of the shocks, the multiple shock acceleration conditions, and the steepness of the magnetic field to the shock normal. This helps in understanding the jet-magnetic field geometry and the irregular or flat spectra observed in many AGN jets (e.g., CenA, 3C 279, PKS 1510-089). Furthermore, the E -2.4 − E -2.7 ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray injected source spectra claimed by many authors might be explained by the superposition of several, perhaps many, emission sources, all of which end their particle shock-acceleration sequence with flatter, starved spectra produced by two or more consecutive oblique shocks along their jets. It might also imply a mixed component of the accelerated particles above 1019 eV. Moreover, the present acceleration model can explain the variability of inverted gamma-ray spectra observed in high redshifted flaring extragalactic sources.