S-Duct Diffuser Offset-to-Length Ratio Effect on Aerodynamic Performance of Propulsion-System Inlet of High Speed Aircraft

This paper reports the internal performance evaluation of S-duct diffusers with different offset-to-length ratios. The geometric parameters of S-duct diffusers are currently of great interest because of increasing demand for stealth and consequently, their effects on drag and aero-engine stability margin. The generic S-duct diffuser selected as a baseline had a rectangular-entrance and circular exit. Test articles were tested with the high subsonic, Ma = 0.8 and 0.85, flow and were manufactured using 3D printing. stream-wise static pressure and exit-plane total pressure were measured in a test rig using surface pressure taps and a 5-probe rotating rake, respectively. The baseline and variant S-ducts were also simulated through computational fluid dynamics. The investigation indicated the presence of stream-wise and circumferential pressure gradients leading to a separated flow in the S-duct diffusers and distortion at the exit plane. The static pressure recovery decreased and total pressure loss increased with an increase in the offset-to-length ratio. The circumferential distortion at the engine face clearly indicated a trend with respect to the offset-to-length ratio, however radial distortion did not.