Computation of the integrated aerodynamic and propulsive flowfields of a generic hypersonic space plane

Abstract

<p>A new upwind, parabolized Navier-Stokes (PNS) code has been developed to compute two- and three-dimensional (3-D) chemically reacting, turbulent flows with hydrogen-air chemistry. The code is a modification of the 3-D upwind PNS (UPS) airflow code. The code solves the PNS equations using a finite-volume, upwind, TVD (Total Variation Diminishing) method based on Roe's approximate Riemann solver that has been modified to account for nonequilibrium effects. The fluid medium is assumed to be a chemically reacting mixture of thermally perfect (but calorically imperfect) gases in thermal equilibrium. Two turbulence models have been incorporated into the code including an algebraic model, that has the ability to account for internal flows with multiple walls, and a two-equation ([kappa]-[epsilon]) turbulence model. For the two-equation turbulence model option, the code solves the turbulence transport equations in an uncoupled manner from the fluids equations. With these enhancements, the UPS code is now capable of computing the chemically reacting flow in scramjet (supersonic combustion ramjet) engines. Various component test cases have been used to validate the code. The computed results are in good agreement with the available numerical and analytical solutions and experimental data. Finally, the full capabilities of the new code have been demonstrated with a 3-D tip-to-tail numerical calculation of the integrated aerodynamic and propulsive flowfields of a generic hypersonic space plane. Two test cases, one with power-off and one with power-on, were considered to study the flow structure around such a configuration. Both tip-to-tail cases were successfully computed in this study.</p>