Turbulence Model Effects on Cold-Gas Lateral Jet Interaction in a Supersonic Crossflow

Computational fluid dynamic predictions of surface pressures resulting from a sonic lateral jet venting into a supersonic crossflow from a cone-cylinder-flare missile are compared to archival wind-tunnel data. Predictions of axial and azimuthal pressure profiles were found to be very dependent on the turbulence model, with some models performing relatively poorly. Menter's baseline model gave very good to excellent predictions and was used to perform additional validations of other flow conditions, jet nozzle configurations, and jet pressure ratios: again with excellent agreement. The study found that, even with the observed variations in surface pressure, the aerodynamic forces and moments produced by the lateral jet interaction were much less sensitive to the turbulence model. However, an estimate of the trajectory and strength of the counter-rotating vortex pair showed that, although there was little effect of the turbulence model on the location of the vortex pair, the induced vorticity varied by over 30%. This difference can be large enough to impact the prediction of the resultant forces and moments if there are fins or other appendages in the wake of the counter-rotating vortex pair.