Assessing k-ε Family Turbulence Models for a Study of Sonic Jet Flow in a Quiescent Environment

This study evaluates the performance of k−ε turbulence models in simulating under-expanded sonic jet flows in a quiescent medium, with a particular focus on shock cell structures, turbulence intensity, and velocity profiles. Numerical simulations were conducted using explicit and implicit solvers with and without compressibility corrections, and the results were validated against data from the literature. The inclusion of compressibility corrections significantly improved the accuracy of the predicted shock cell structures, especially in the far field, where the oscillatory nature of the velocity and turbulence profiles was captured effectively. The analysis revealed that higher inlet turbulence intensity (10%) enhanced near-field mixing and momentum dissipation, while turbulence intensity converged in the far field regardless of initial conditions.