Computational analysis of the flow field near the boat-tail region of annular plug nozzles

Flow fields over annular plug nozzles are computationally simulated and the boat- tail drag characteristics are clarified and discussed based on the simulation results. The plug nozzle configuration is taken from the ATREX (Air Turbo Ramjet) engine under development at the ISAS. The simulations are carried out for the axi-symmetric nozzle configuration using compressible Navier-Stokes equations. The computed result shows that there exists a low pressure region downstream of the Prandtl-Meyer expansion on the boat-tail region and the separation shock wave appears due to the interaction of the main flow and the nozzle plume downstream. The result also shows that the primary cause of the boat-tail drag turns out to be the low pressure region downstream of the Prandtl-Meyer expansion. The flow field with the secondary flow injection is then simulated and the computed result shows that the pressure in the region in front of the separation shock wave increases and the secondary flow injection successfully reduces the boat-tail drag. The effect of the turbulence model used in the computation is discussed to ensure the reliability of the solutions.