Numerical Validation of the Conical Bidirectional Vortex Engine Geometry
Disciplines
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics | Engineering Physics | Fluid Dynamics | Other Applied Mathematics | Other Mathematics | Propulsion and Power
Abstract (300 words maximum)
This study presents a computational characterization of the cyclonic flowfield within a swirl-driven conical combustion chamber under cold-flow, non-reactive conditions. An idealized chamber with a tapered conical section and eight tangential injectors is modeled using a three-dimensional finite volume solver. A tetrahedral meshis constructed to discretize the domain, ensuring geometric conformity and minimizing skewness near the injectors and cone walls. Simulations are carried out under steady, incompressible, and inviscid flow conditions to characterize the confined cyclonic motion. The numerical results are validated against the exact Eulerian solution forconicalbidirectionalvortexmotion. Thecomputedswirlvelocityprofilesexhibitaforcedvortexcore transitioning to a free vortex tail near the cone wall, showing strong agreement with inviscid Eulerian solution predictions. Both swirl velocity and pressure fields are found to be axially invariant along the conical axis, supporting a key assumption used in theoretical formulations. A parametric study with inlet velocities ranging from 40 to 100 m/s shows that increased injection speeds enhance the intensity of swirl and steepen pressure gradients, especially near the conical surface, while maintaining a stable central pressure. These results demonstrate that inviscid CFD modeling can effectively capture the core features of cyclonic bidirectional f low in conical chambers, aiding in the development of vortex-based propulsion devices and informing future turbulence model refinement for highly anisotropic swirling flows.
Use of AI Disclaimer
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Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET – Mechanical Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Gaurav Sharma
Numerical Validation of the Conical Bidirectional Vortex Engine Geometry
This study presents a computational characterization of the cyclonic flowfield within a swirl-driven conical combustion chamber under cold-flow, non-reactive conditions. An idealized chamber with a tapered conical section and eight tangential injectors is modeled using a three-dimensional finite volume solver. A tetrahedral meshis constructed to discretize the domain, ensuring geometric conformity and minimizing skewness near the injectors and cone walls. Simulations are carried out under steady, incompressible, and inviscid flow conditions to characterize the confined cyclonic motion. The numerical results are validated against the exact Eulerian solution forconicalbidirectionalvortexmotion. Thecomputedswirlvelocityprofilesexhibitaforcedvortexcore transitioning to a free vortex tail near the cone wall, showing strong agreement with inviscid Eulerian solution predictions. Both swirl velocity and pressure fields are found to be axially invariant along the conical axis, supporting a key assumption used in theoretical formulations. A parametric study with inlet velocities ranging from 40 to 100 m/s shows that increased injection speeds enhance the intensity of swirl and steepen pressure gradients, especially near the conical surface, while maintaining a stable central pressure. These results demonstrate that inviscid CFD modeling can effectively capture the core features of cyclonic bidirectional f low in conical chambers, aiding in the development of vortex-based propulsion devices and informing future turbulence model refinement for highly anisotropic swirling flows.