Investigation of flow characteristics of various-aspect-ratio rectangular nozzles with an aft deck

This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation to characterize the plume pattern of a high-aspect-ratio rectangular convergent/divergent nozzle with an aft deck in under-expanded conditions. The function of an aft deck is to shield the infrared signal of an exhaust plume at its strongest intensity located at the immediate downstream region of the nozzle exit. However, this practice may cause undesirable plume deflection, which needs to be reduced as much as possible. The nozzle pressure ratios ranged from 2 to 4, and the effect of the nozzle exit aspect ratio was examined using wall static pressure measurements and schlieren visualization for cold flows. The experimental setup involved a 3D-printed aft deck nozzle made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene material, which underwent surface smoothing using acetone vapor. Numerical simulations were conducted using the commercial STARCCM\(^{\mathrm {+}}\) software to analyze static pressure ratio variations at the aft deck. The investigation revealed that a nozzle pressure ratio of 3 induced a downward plume deflection at aspect ratio values of 6.77 and 7.54, while an increased aspect ratio of 8.35 resulted in the horizontal ejection of the plume. Moreover, at an aspect ratio of 8.35, the plume was ejected horizontally for nozzle pressure ratios ranging from 2 to 4. At a nozzle pressure ratio of 4, the flow separated from the deck without reattaching, and the plume moved horizontally with minimal deflection. The findings suggest that a combination of a high aspect ratio and sufficiently high nozzle pressure ratio can effectively reduce plume deflection.