Pressure feedback system for flow separation mitigation in scramjet intakes

Abstract

Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interactions (SWBLI) occur due to the convergence of a shock wave and a viscous boundary layer. The resulting separation bubble is a major setback for the performance of high-speed air intakes. This paper presents a numerical investigation into the potential of a Pressure Feedback Technique (PFT) to alleviate shock-induced flow separation within a Scramjet engine intake operating at Mach 4. The PFT is a novel self-sustaining flow control technique that combines simultaneous suction and injection. The two main output parameters used to support the hypothesis of the present study are the size of the separation bubble as well as the total pressure recovery at the isolator outlet. The most prominent observation of this study is that with the installation of the PF tubes, the total pressure recovery at the exit is noted to rise. The effectiveness of the pressure feedback technique in reducing the intensity of the separation bubbles is found to depend on the diameter of the PFT, pitch-to-diameter ratio, and PFT tube design.