Suppression of flow separation in a scramjet inlet using Görtler vortices.

This article focuses on the numerical investigation of Görtler vortices for suppressing boundary layer separation in scramjet engine inlets operating at Mach 8. The study examines two-stage compression ramps with varying turning angles (10° and 15°) and different cowl positions, revealing that Görtler vortices naturally form due to streamline curvature associated with an unsteady separation bubble and are intensified by the downstream cowl. The presence of these vortices enhances momentum transport near the throat entrance, effectively reducing flow separation and increasing the mass flow rate ratio in the inlet duct to above 0.9 compared to two-dimensional cases without vortices. The findings suggest that leveraging Görtler vortices offers a promising approach to improve scramjet inlet performance by mitigating separation-induced losses, although further optimization of cowl position and ramp length is needed to address cowl shock-induced separation within the throat.