Numerical and experimental studies of the hypersonic flow around a cube at incidence
File(s)
Author(s)
Rees, Thomas W
Bruce, Paul JK
Fisher, Tom B
Quinn, Mark K
Merrifield, Jim A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In order to improve predictions of the on-ground casualty risk associated with the uncontrolled atmospheric reentry of satellites from Low Earth Orbit, there is significant research interest in the development of engineering
models of hypersonic heating rates to faceted shapes. A key part of developing such models is generating accurate
datasets of the heat fluxes experienced by faceted shapes at various orientations in hypersonic flows. In this work,
we use wind tunnel experiments and CFD simulations to study the hypersonic flow around a cuboid geometry at
5◦ incidence in a Mach 5 flow at Reynolds numbers of 79.5 × 103, 109 × 103 and 148 × 103. The wind tunnel
data are obtained in the University of Manchester’s High SuperSonic Tunnel and consist of schlieren images and
temperature histories collected using infrared thermography. These temperature histories are used to calculate
experimental heat fluxes by solving a three-dimensional inverse heat conduction problem. CFD simulations
around the same geometry at equivalent free-stream conditions are calculated with the DLR-TAU code. The
experimental and CFD results show good agreement both in terms of heat fluxes as well as flow structure. Notable
flow structures include wedge-shaped regions of high heat flux which emanate from the windward corners of the
cube. Analysis of numerical Q-criterion contours show that these high heat flux regions are caused by vortex
structures generated by the expansion at the cube corner. Analysis of the numerical skin friction coefficient
shows that even at incidence there is no breakaway separation from the expansion edges of the cube and the flow
remains attached throughout. We show that although there is little change in the average heat flux experienced
by a cube at 5◦ incidence to the free-stream compared to one at 0◦ incidence, there are significant changes in the
heat flux contours over the cubes at these two incidences. Finally, we calculate a number of heating shape factors
which can easily be implemented in satellite re-entry and demise prediction analysis tools.
models of hypersonic heating rates to faceted shapes. A key part of developing such models is generating accurate
datasets of the heat fluxes experienced by faceted shapes at various orientations in hypersonic flows. In this work,
we use wind tunnel experiments and CFD simulations to study the hypersonic flow around a cuboid geometry at
5◦ incidence in a Mach 5 flow at Reynolds numbers of 79.5 × 103, 109 × 103 and 148 × 103. The wind tunnel
data are obtained in the University of Manchester’s High SuperSonic Tunnel and consist of schlieren images and
temperature histories collected using infrared thermography. These temperature histories are used to calculate
experimental heat fluxes by solving a three-dimensional inverse heat conduction problem. CFD simulations
around the same geometry at equivalent free-stream conditions are calculated with the DLR-TAU code. The
experimental and CFD results show good agreement both in terms of heat fluxes as well as flow structure. Notable
flow structures include wedge-shaped regions of high heat flux which emanate from the windward corners of the
cube. Analysis of numerical Q-criterion contours show that these high heat flux regions are caused by vortex
structures generated by the expansion at the cube corner. Analysis of the numerical skin friction coefficient
shows that even at incidence there is no breakaway separation from the expansion edges of the cube and the flow
remains attached throughout. We show that although there is little change in the average heat flux experienced
by a cube at 5◦ incidence to the free-stream compared to one at 0◦ incidence, there are significant changes in the
heat flux contours over the cubes at these two incidences. Finally, we calculate a number of heating shape factors
which can easily be implemented in satellite re-entry and demise prediction analysis tools.
Date Issued
2021-06-01
Date Acceptance
2021-02-27
Citation
ACTA ASTRONAUTICA, 2021, 183, pp.75-88
ISSN
0094-5765
Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Start Page
75
End Page
88
Journal / Book Title
ACTA ASTRONAUTICA
Volume
183
Copyright Statement
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
European Space Agency / Estec
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000666595000008&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
4000120171/17/NL/MH/GM
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Engineering, Aerospace
Engineering
Infrared thermography
Heat transfer
Inverse methods
Hypersonic
Satellite demise
Incidence
HEAT-TRANSFER
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-03-15