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A sonic circular injector discharging into a Mach 1.6 freestream over a flat plate with a jet to crossflow momentum flux ratio of 1.73 is investigated numerically using a three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation. Menter’s shear stress transport k–ω turbulence model is employed to understand the complex flow features associated with jet–freestream interaction. The validation of the numerical solution is achieved by comparing the velocity and flat plate surface pressure measurements from the experiments, and the numerical solution shows good agreement with the experimental data. The present work emphasizes the flow field studies that include the identification of shocks, recirculation zones, and vortex structures. The Omega (Ω) vortex visualization method is employed for identifying the vortex structures. Comparison with high Mach number freestream conditions (M∞ = 2 and 4) shows that the vortex structures remain the same, irrespective of the freestream Mach number. A close analysis of the jet near-field shows several new vortex structures, including a secondary surface trailing vortex. The formation of each of these vortices lacks clarity to date. Considering the complex three-dimensional nature of the flow field, an attempt has been made to trace the formation of the vortex structures associated with a jet in supersonic crossflow.

A high-speed compressible solver capable of solving detailed chemical reaction mechanisms is developed by coupling the open-source computational fluid dynamic toolbox OpenFOAM® and Cantera 2.5.0. A sonic hydrogen jet discharging from a circular injector into a high enthalpy supersonic crossflow over a flat plate is selected as a test case for the developed solver. The incoming boundary layer is laminar, and an adverse pressure gradient-induced transition is expected due to transverse injection. The test case is selected to serve two purposes. First, to validate the developed solver. Second, to inspect the capability of Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) in predicting the flame characteristics in high-speed flows involving laminar to turbulent transition. The present study features three-dimensional RANS simulations with Shear Stress Transport (SST) k–ω and Langtry–Menter SST k–ω turbulence models, with three values of inlet turbulent intensity: I = 0.5, 1, and 2. Analysis showed that laminar to turbulent transition plays a significant role in the resulting flame structure. A fully turbulent SST k–ω model showed several discrepancies from the experiment, especially near the boundary layer. On the other hand, the Langtry–Menter SST k–ω model predicts transition onset and hence the flame structures accurately. Furthermore, the transition onset and the flame structure strongly depend on I. The low-velocity recirculation regions near the injector aid in flame stabilization upstream of the injector. At the same time, the horseshoe vortex dictates the flame spread in a spanwise direction. The reflected shock–boundary layer interaction helps in flame stabilization downstream of the injector.