Flow characteristics of double serpentine convergent nozzle with different inlet configuration

Serpentine nozzles have been used in stealth fighters to increase their survivability. For real turbofan aero-engines, the existence of the double ducts (bypass and core flow), the tail cone, the struts, the lobed mixers, and the swirl flows from the engine turbine, could lead to complex flow features of serpentine nozzle. The aim of this paper is to ascertain the effect of different inlet configurations on the flow characteristics of a double serpentine convergent nozzle. The detailed flow features of the double serpentine convergent nozzle including/excluding the tail cone and the struts are investigated. The effects of inlet swirl angles and strut setting angles on the flow field and performance of the serpentine nozzle are also computed. The results show that the vortices, which inherently exist at the corners, are not affected by the existence of the bypass, the tail cone, and the struts. The existence of the tail cone and the struts leads to differences in the high-vorticity regions of the core flow. The static temperature contours are dependent on the distributions of the x-streamwise vorticity around the core flow. The high static temperature region is decreased with the increase of the inlet swirl angle and the setting angle of the struts. The performance loss of the serpentine nozzle is mostly caused by its inherent losses such as the friction loss and the shock loss. The performance of the serpentine nozzle is decreased as the inlet swirl angle and the setting angle of the struts increase. Copyright VC 2018 by ASME.