Mean-Flow PIV Analyses for Jet-Airfoil Interaction

Author

• Emiliano Lopez-Diaz, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

8-1-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Mechanical Engineering

First Advisor

Isaac Choutapalli

Second Advisor

Horacio Vasquez

Third Advisor

Javier Ortega

Abstract

Vortex impingement produces highly unsteady aerodynamic loads that can reduce the performance and structural stability of airfoils exposed to pulsed flows. This thesis investigates the interaction between a pulsed jet and a NACA 0018 airfoil at angles of attack of 0°, 8°, and 20° using a circular nozzle operating at an excitation frequency of 30 Hz. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry provides instantaneous two-dimensional velocity fields throughout the jet–airfoil interaction region. proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), implemented through singular value decomposition and the method of snapshots, separates the mean-subtracted velocity data into energy-ranked spatial modes and temporal coefficients. Mean velocity fields and representative POD modes reveal the jet core, shear-layer growth, leading-edge stagnation, vortex impingement, flow redirection, and higher-order oscillations. The first POD mode captures approximately 66.8% of the fluctuating energy, while the first ten modes account for approximately 80%, establishing POD as an effective reduced-order method for interpreting complex pulsed-jet and airfoil interactions.

Comments

Copyright 2026 Emiliano Lopez-Diaz. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3408996712

Recommended Citation

Lopez-Diaz, E. (2026). Mean-Flow PIV Analyses for Jet-Airfoil Interaction [Master's thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/2082