Direct computation of the noise induced by a turbulent flow through a diaphragm in a duct at low Mach number

A direct computation of the noise radiated by a turbulent flow in a duct obstructed by a diaphragm is performed by compressible large-eddy simulation. For the low Mach number configuration considered, a two-step hybrid method could be less expensive, but would fail at characterizing sound-flow interactions. The application of direct calculation is thus challenging but gives both the acoustic and aerodynamic fields in the same computation in order to shed light on the noise generation mechanisms. Acoustic energy is produced and dissipated in the asymmetric jet-type flow issuing from the diaphragm. A low-frequency radiation is correlated with the breakdown of the coherent jet-column structures as the plane jet reattaches the upper wall. The Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices in the shear layers of the jet constitute the primary instabilities but do not radiate sound. On the contrary, this vorticity shedding seems to dissipate waves propagating upstream by enforcing the unsteady Kutta condition. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.