Numerical simulations of sound radiated from an axisymmetric premixed reacting jet

The sound radiated by an axisymmetric (two-dimensional) premixed reacting free jet was studied using direct numerical simulation. The jet was injected into cold combustion products. A narrow (in radial extent) high temperature pulse was specified at the jet inlet to stabilize the reacting jet. The computational domain included both the near-field flow and far-field acoustic regions. Both reacting and nonreacting cases were considered. The heat release associated with the reacting jet had a significant effect on the vortical structure, as well as the sound radiation level and pattern, within the jet. The sound radiation pattern and the source terms in Lighthill's equation were used to identify apparent sound source locations. Within the context of the assumptions of the present simulations, the results showed that the effect of heat release was to: (1) Stabilize the jet, (2) enhance sound radiation levels due to an increase in the entropy source, and (3) shift the frequency of the most unstable mode to lower values, resulting in a broader sound spectrum. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.