Novel Methods for Sensor Quieting in Turbulent Flows

The Progeny – University of Utah team proposes a new approach for flow noise reduction to improve acoustic sensor performance. Our proposal is to investigate the ability of controlling the turbulent flow by utilizing acceleration which makes the flow locally laminar. Our proposed method of achieving acceleration is to send the flow around a concave surface, by adding a “two-dimensional bump” to an otherwise flat wall. Wall pressure versus distance measurements have shown that the pressure decreases in the first part of the concavity of the bump, and becomes normal again (fully turbulent) downstream. This means that the total amount of flow noise reaching a sensor below the bump will be less than if the sensor were under a flat wall, with turbulence along its entire length.