Numerical Simulations of Thermochemical Nonequilibrium Flows around Hypersonic Projectiles using OpenFOAM

(Validation of a Numerical Code hy2Foam based on Park’s Two-temperature Model)

Abstract

Flow fields around a re-entry or entry body flying at high altitudes in planetary atmospheres with hypersonic velocities tend to be in thermochemical nonequilibrium states due to the fact that the characteristic times of vibrational excitations and chemical reactions behind strong shock waves become comparable to those of fluid flows. In order to simulate such thermochemical nonequilibrium flows, Casseau et al. (Aerospace, 3(4), (2016), 45) have recently developed a numerical code hy2Foam based on OpenFOAM. In the present work, we have conducted numerical simulations of thermochemical nonequilibrium flows around spherical projectiles launched by a ballistic range in order to validate hy2Foam. The results show that hy2Foam can predict the shock standoff distances within the accuracy from 2 to 10 % under the conditions of the present simulations.