Project Title:
Navier-Stokes Technique for Aerobraking Orbital-Transfer Vehicles
02.03-2036
911594
Navier-Stokes Technique for Aerobraking Orbital-Transfer Vehicles
VRA, Inc.
P.O. Box 50
Blacksburg
VA
24063
Clark H.
Lewis
703-953-2036
LaRC
NAS1-19551
013
02.03-2036
911594
Abstract:
Navier-Stokes Technique for Aerobraking Orbital-Transfer Vehicles Applications
Upon atmospheric entry, proposed aerobraking orbital-transfer vehicles (AOTV) configurations
will experience large heat loads. Accurate prediction of these complex flow fields
is necessary for designing appropriate heatshields. Thermal-chemical nonequilibrium,
nonequilibrium radiation, and surface-ablation effects will be important under these
conditions. This project will develop and demonstrate a new space-marching Navier-Stokes
scheme that will be computationally fast and efficient and will also be able to address
these flow-field effects. Phase I will focus on axisymmetric perfect-gas flow over
a typical AOTV forebody, and will use a space-marching approach with Van Leer flux
splitting. The project will demonstrate this new numerical capability by predicting
hypersonic flow over a 70-degree sphere-cone under typical AOTV conditions, and provide
a detailed engineering report. Phase II will address the extensions to include three-dimensional
flows, a wide range of nonequilibrium-to-equilibrium flows, radiation and surface-ablation
effects, and will include near- as well as far-wake flow field regions. The developed
code(s), user's manual(s), and a final engineering report will be provided at the
end of Phase II.
Commercial applications include the design and analysis of various hypersonic penetration
aids and decoys, NASP, TAVs, AOTVs and aerobrakes, and AFE configurations. In the
absence of sufficient flight data, these computational fluid dynamics capabilities
will help generate the data base for such advanced design concepts.
space marching, Navier-Stokes, aerobrake, nonequilibrium, ablation, radiation