Thermodynamic Behavior of a Weakly Compressible Shear Layer

Modern aero-optics research relies upon the ability to accurately measure and predict density changes in flows of interest. To model such flows, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is often used to save time and money compared to the cost of full-scale experiments. Discrepancies have been discovered in the results of a computational simulation of a weakly compressible shear layer (WCSL) that casts doubt on the current models being used in commercial solvers. The objectives of this research are to explore the validity of solutions from commercial solvers with respect to WCSL physics and to continue investigation into the Weakly Compressible Model (WCM), which was developed and used at the University of Notre Dame to model the behavior of such weakly compressible flows. Finally, a novel method of temperature-calibrated Mie scattering is presented in which CFD-predicted temperatures are used as a proof-of-concept calibration for humidity-based Mie scattering.