Multiphase CFD Analysis of Fuel Nozzle Cavitation

The purpose of this action is to add FY22 funds in the amount of $106,993.00.--Five (5) month period of performance.--A five-month r,esearch program is offered to develop and apply modern unsteady compressible multiphase Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, to aircraft engine fuel cavitation. The technical goal of this work is to supplant single-phase barotropic models currently used by, engineers in the United States Navy (USN) gas-turbine fuel pump development enterprise, with far more accurate CFD modeling. The ca,vitating regions of these flow systems are characterized by 1) significant unsteadiness, 2) high vapor volume fraction,3) high Mach, number compressibility (due to mixture sound speed effects), 4) bubble cloud dynamics and thermodynamics (including cloud collapse, and cavitation damage), 5) the presence of condensable and non-condensable constituents, and, 6) two-phase turbulence. As detailed, below, the model to be developed in this research accommodates all these physics. This project will advance the ability of the USN, to execute first-principles based modern cavitation CFD to the fuel-nozzle arena. This work will lead to significant improvements i,n the design of jet engine fuel pump components in the future, enabling damage resistant geometries and material selection which wil,l in-turn provide on-wing longevity and procurement risk reduction. The model will be evolved for application to relevant fuel mixtu,res, from a model currently implemented within an in-house CFD code developed by co-PIs Kunz and Lindau. This model has been used ex,tensively to date for water cavitation analysis under various USN contracts. The model will be validated against experimental data t,aken to date, and new data obtained under the proposed grant, by PI Thomas at Notre Dame. This collaborative effort will result in a, deliverable of a complete model specification that can be installed in OEM and commercial CFD tools. Professor Robert Kunz of Penn, States Department of Mechanical Engineering will serve as Principal Investigator (PI) of the project. Professor Flint Thomas, of N,otre Dames Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, will serve as co-PI. Dr. Jules Lindau, Associate Research Professor, of Aerospace Engineering at Penn State, will serve as co-PI. Dr. Xiang Yang of Penn States Department of Mechanical Engineering wi,ll serve as co-PI. Dr. Daniel Leonard, Research Engineer at Penn State Applied Research Laboratory will execute some of the CFD work, scope. - Approved for Public Release.