Sensitivity Analysis of the Effects of Aircraft and Environmental Parameters on Aircraft Wake Vortex Trajectories and Lifetimes

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of aircraft parameters (position, heading, speed, weight, span, and spanwise load factor) and meteorological parameters (crosswind, headwind, wind shear, thermal stratification, turbulent kinetic energy, dissipation rate, and density) on wake vortex behavior. Typical measurement uncertainties of these parameters, on one hand, and the range in which they typically reside, on the other hand, are mapped on variations of lateral and vertical position and lifetime of the wake vortices. For this mapping process the D2P wake vortex model is employed complemented by some simple considerations, dimensional analysis, and sources from literature. Three scenarios comprising cruise conditions, flight within the atmospheric boundary layer, and ground proximity are considered. From these investigations the following ranking of the impact parameters has been deduced: wind, thermal stratification, turbulence, position, mass, spanwise load factor. The relevance of the remaining parameters appears small.