Design optimization for submerged inlets- Part II

A design optimization loop driven by a gradient based optimizer is constructed by integrating the optimizer with commercial software packages through the use of the Perl script language. The objective function of the optimization problem are chosen to be flow swirl and distortion at the engine-face. The design variables are the geometrical parameters defining the surface alteration. A single-objective design optimization displays an improvement of 90% in distortion value. A multi-objective design optimization study in which influence of geometry alterations on flow distortion as well as flow swirl is investigated yields in 65% improvement in distortion value with the lowest possible flow swirl in the feasible design space. In order to verify the numerical results, an experimental setup for the same inlet geometry is prepared to run at the same flow conditions. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the numerical and experimental approaches, to summarize their results and to compare the findings of numerical analysis with experimental study.