High angle-of-attack inviscid Shuttle Orbiter computation

Abstract

As a preliminary step toward predicting the leeside thermal environment for winged reentry vehicles at ight conditions, a computational solution for the ow about the Shuttle Orbiter at wind tunnel conditions was made using a point-implicit, nite volume scheme known as the Langley Aerothermodynamic Upwind Relaxation Algorithm LAURA. The Scheme is a second-order accurate, upwind-biased Navier-Stokes solver capable of solving non-equilibrium chemistry ows with radiative equilibrium wall temperatures and nite-rate wall catalysis. For this study, h o w ever, the code is run in its simplest form, i.e., i n viscid ow using perfect gas chemistry. The surface pressures resulting from the computational solution are compared with wind tunnel data. The results indicate that the dominant i n viscid ow features are being accurately predicted on the leeside of the Shuttle Orbiter at a moderately high angle of attack.

Hypersonic Flow Computations for an Elliptic Cone at High Angle of Incidence

“…These simulations showed good agreement with experimental data at low angles of attack and Reynolds number (i.e., laminar attached flow) [12][13][14][15], but separated flow remained beyond the scope of these models. Later simulations employed the full Navier-Stokes equations [16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…With a reduction in total heat load, the size of the thermal protection system may be reduced, improving vehicle payload fraction. Interest in hypersonic flow at high angles of attack dates to the mid-1960s [2][3][4][5][6][7] and has been revived recently with increased interest in new, lower-cost, space access systems [1,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”