Prediction of aeroacoustic resonance in cavities of hole-pattern stator seals

A Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver developed in-house was used to simulate grazing channel flow past a cavity located in a channel. The objective of this investigation was to predict fluid instabilities in holepattern stator seals. The numerical results generated with the RANS solver showed good agreement with those obtained using a commercial Large Eddy Simu lation (LES) code. In addition, the numerical results agreed well with experimental data. Rossiter's formula, a popular semi-empirical model used to predict fre quen cies of holetone acoustic instabilities caused by grazing fluid flow past open cavities, was modified using the RANS solver results to allow for its application to channel flows. This was done by modifying the empirical constant k, the ratio of vortex velocity and the freestream velocity. The dominant frequencies predicted using the Rossiter's formula with the new k value matched well the experi mental data for hole-pattern stator seals. The RANS solver accurately captured the salient features of the flow/acoustic interaction and predicted well the domi nant acoustic frequencies measured in an experi mental investigation. The flow solver also provided detailed physical insight into the cavity flow instability mechanism.

Prediction of aeroacoustic resonance in cavities of hole-pattern stator seals Academic Article