Low-frequency unsteadiness of recompression shock structures in the diffuser of supersonic ejectors

Supersonic ejectors are passive gasdynamic devices that compress a low-pressure fluid by utilizing the kinetic energy of a high-pressure fluid in a variable area duct. The ejector consists of a primary supersonic nozzle in a mixing duct where the secondary flow is entrained and mixed. The mixed flow can undergo a series of recompression shocks resulting in a subsonic flow in the diverging portion to aid pressure recovery. Recompression shocks usually lead to unsteady shock boundary layer interactions. The performance of the ejector is influenced by shear layers, shock and expansion waves, and their mutual interactions. While existing literature has extensively dealt with mixing of the primary and secondary flows, the unsteadiness in flow resulting from recompression shocks has been seldom investigated. Fluctuations in pressure due to the unsteadiness of the shock often lead structural fatigue issues. This paper reports a detailed investigation on low-frequency unsteadiness of recompression shock using high-speed schlieren images and dynamic pressure measurements. Modal analyses using proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition techniques are used to determine the dominant spatial modes and associated frequencies. Multimodal frequencies ranging between 80 and 300 Hz are observed. These findings are further corroborated by Fourier and wavelet transformations of the experimentally measured wall static pressure signals. Subsequently, scaling parameter is established for the dominant frequencies based on flow velocities upstream of the shock and the distance between two consecutive shocks. This results in a unique scaling frequency of 4.58% ± 18%, for the recompression shock independent of operating conditions.