Measurements and computational fluid dynamics predictions of the acoustic impedance of orifices

Abstract The response of orifices to incident acoustic waves, which is important for many engineering applications, is investigated with an approach combining both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. This paper presents experimental data on acoustic impedance of orifices, which is subsequently used for validation of a numerical technique developed for the purpose of predicting the acoustic response of a range of geometries with moderate computational cost. Measurements are conducted for orifices with length to diameter ratios, L/D, of 0.5, 5 and 10. The experimental data is obtained for a range of frequencies using a configuration in which a mean (or bias) flow passes from a duct through the test orifices before issuing into a plenum. Acoustic waves are provided by a sound generator on the upstream side of the orifices. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations of the same configuration have also been performed. These have been undertaken using an unsteady Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) approach with a pressure based compressible formulation with appropriate characteristic based boundary conditions to simulate the correct acoustic behaviour at the boundaries. The CFD predictions are in very good agreement with the experimental data, predicting the correct trend with both frequency and orifice L/D in a way not seen with analytical models. The CFD was also able to successfully predict a negative resistance, and hence a reflection coefficient greater than unity for the L / D = 0.5 case.