Simulation of a Hypersonic Busemann Inlet at Off Design Mach Number and Angle of Attack

In this study, three-dimensional simulations of hypersonic streamtraced Busemann inlet at sub design Mach number, and angle of attack are performed using a positivity-preserving and entropy bounded discontinuous Galerkin formulation. The inlet is designed for operation at Mach 5.5 and the simulations are run at Mach 3.7 at angles of attack of 0◦and ±5◦. The simulations are validated against available experimental pressure sensitive paint measurements and schlieren imaging. The shock structure and pressure distributions are examined at each angle of attack to identify the change in flow features. Additionally, downstream planes are extracted to determine the mass capture and mass flow lost through the bleed slot under each operating condition. When the inlet is pitched up there is an increase in the pressure rise across the inlet, decrease in the Mach number, and increase in the total mass flow captured. To examine the flowfield further the total pressure recovery and turbulent kinetic energy are examined at several planes along the inlet. It is shown that at each angle of attack, the flowfield exhibits distinct characteristics. At angles of attack of 0◦and−5◦, regions of low total pressure recovery and high turbulent kinetic energy are primarily concentrated along the upper half of the inlet. In contrast, at an angle of attack of +5◦, areas of high turbulent kinetic energy and low total pressure are distributed across the entire inlet cross-section.