Large-eddy simulation of aircraft wake vortex deformation and topology

On the one hand, it is known from visual observations, Lidar measurements, and numerical simulations that aircraft wake vortices may live significantly longer than anticipated by todays standard regulations of air traffic control. On the other hand, the initially counter-rotating, parallel vortex pa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 2011-12, Vol.225 (12), p.1336-1350
Main Authors: Hennemann, I, Holzäpfel, F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerodynamics
Air traffic control
Aircraft
Algorithms
Circulation
Curvature
Deformation
Descent
Fluid flow
Large eddy simulation
Mathematical analysis
Microprocessors
Regulations
Stratification
Topology
Turbulence
Turbulent flow
Vortex rings
Vortices
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:On the one hand, it is known from visual observations, Lidar measurements, and numerical simulations that aircraft wake vortices may live significantly longer than anticipated by todays standard regulations of air traffic control. On the other hand, the initially counter-rotating, parallel vortex pair deforms quickly, which reduces the impact time of adverse forces and moments on encountering aircraft. Therefore, large-eddy simulations of wake vortex evolution in different meteorological conditions are conducted in order to analyse the physics of vortex deformation. A new post-processing algorithm has been developed that at first determines the three-dimensional path of the vortex core line and then computes piecewise curvature radii as a measure of vortex deformation. It is found that larger turbulence levels and neutral to weakly stable temperature stratification particularly support vortex ring formation. The vortex ring regime is characterized by a reduced descent rate and by a surprising variability of its core radius. It is shown that the varying core size directly affects the evolution of radii-averaged circulation. Comparisons with field experiments indicate good agreement with the considerable life time of the vortex rings and topology.
ISSN:0954-4100
2041-3025
DOI:10.1177/0954410011402257