Three-dimensional numerical investigation on turbulent kinetic energy production in supersonic flow over cavity

In this Letter, numerical simulation of shock–turbulence interaction during supersonic flow over a cavity has been carried out by solving three-dimensional unsteady compressible Navier–Stokes equation in OpenFOAM platform. The source of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) production has been analyzed by the decomposition of the production term (Pk) in the TKE budget equation into six constituent terms [Pal and Roy, “Shock turbulent interaction during shock-wave/boundary layer interaction over double wedge,” Phys. Fluids 36, 106108 (2024)], to the capture the three-dimensional nature of turbulence production. The numerical results show that TKE production and amplification occurs primarily due to streamwise mean flow deceleration Px and mean strain rate Psxy at the shear layer in both open and confined cavity.