An overview of research efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in low-emission combustion technology that have made a significant impact on the nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission reduction in aircraft propulsion is presented. The technology advancements and their impact on aircraft emissions are discussed in the context of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) high-level goals in fuel burn, noise and emission reductions. The highlights of the research presented here show how the past and current efforts laid the foundation for the engines that are flying today as well as how the continued technology advancements will significantly influence the next generation of aviation propulsion system designs.

A three-dimensional viscous flow analysis is performed using a time-marching Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes code for a 3:1 rectangular nozzle with two delta tabs located at the nozzle exit plane to enhance mixing. Two flow configurations, a subsonic jet case and a supersonic jet case using the same tab configuration which were previously studied experimentally, are computed and compared with the experimental data. The experimental data include streamwise velocity and vorticity distributions for the subsonic case, and Mach number distributions for the supersonic case, at various axial locations downstream of the nozzle exit. The computational results show very good agreement with the experimental data. In addition, the effect of compressibility on vorticity dynamics are examined by comparing the vorticity contours of the subsonic jet case with those of the supersonic jet case which were not measured in the experiment.

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