Computational Study of a High-Performance Submerged Inlet with Bleeding Vortex

Previous investigations on the submerged inlets show that the counter-rotating vortex pair originated from the side edge is helpful to inhale the external flow into the duct but increases the mixing loss of the inlet. To improve the performance of this type of inlet, a flow-control method based on a bleeding vortex is brought forward in this paper that is expected to use the positive effect of the vortex pair and to reduce the accompanied disadvantages. Computational results indicate that the control method is effective, with the total pressure recovery coefficient increased by 2.8% and the distortion index decreased by 51.0% at the design condition as compared with the baseline case. Furthermore, the impacts of slot location are also obtained, which underline the fact that it should be chosen carefully according to the transmitting path of the vortex pair. In addition, the drag analysis for the submerged inlet with flow control shows that it is promising for practical use with no extra drag penalty.