Extension of eN method to general three-dimensional boundary layers

In order to extend the eN method to general three-dimensional boundary layers, the conservation law of the imaginary parts for the wave parameters with a fixed wave vector is deduced. The compatibility relationship (CR) and the general theory of ray tracing (RT), which have been extensively used in conservative systems, are applied to a general three-dimensional boundary layer belonging to non-conservative systems. Two kinds of eN methods, i.e., the eN-CR method and the eN-RT method, are established. Both the two kinds of methods can be used to predict the evolutions of the spanwise wavenumber and the amplitude of the disturbances in general three-dimensional boundary layers. The reliability of the proposed methods is verified and validated by performing a direct numerical simulation (DNS) in a hypersonic general three-dimensional boundary layer over an aircraft model. The results are also compared with those obtained by other eN methods, indicating that the proposed methods have great potential applications in improving the transition prediction accuracy in general three-dimensional boundary layers.