Numerical and Experimental Studies of 3D Hypersonic Inlet

The results of numerical and experimental studies of a new configuration of 3D hypersonic inlet with the minimum throat area, which was called a convergent inlet, are presented in this paper. It is shown that the use of this inlet configuration allows one to reduce the drag and thermal protection of surfaces of a hypersonic engine within the entire range of flight velocities. The calculations were performed within the framework of inviscid gas model by the method of finite volumes. The flow and inlet characteristics, taking account of viscosity, were also calculated using the boundary layer equations. The experimental studies were performed within the Mach number range from 2 to 10.7 and Reynolds number based on the model inlet height of Re=l-5x10(6). The results included the flow parameters on the external compression surface and in the inlet duct, the Mach number in the throat, the air flow rate, the total pressure recovery coefficient, the inlet drag, and the boundary layer characteristics on compression surfaces were determined, including the skin friction coefficients. These results are also compared with the data for traditional 2D inlets.