Computation of nonequilibrium hypersonic flowfields around hemisphere cylinders

Abstract

Hypersonic flows past hemisphere cylinders at zero incidence in chemical and thermal nonequilibrium are investigated for a range of Mach numbers from 10 to 18. The numerical code shows excellent comparison for surface pressure and heat transfer prediction with recent experiments conducted in a shock tunnel. The numerical code also compares well for stagnation point heat flux predictions at altitudes of 22 and 37 km with a set of earlier experiments. Numerical solutions with the vibrational equilibrium model are compared with those of multitemperature nonequilibrium. The stagnation point heat transfer is 10-23% higher for the nonequilibrium solutions in the Mach number range of 12-18. The importance of a multitemperature model for accurate prediction of stagnation properties, particularly the heat transfer, is noted. The variation in computed shockstandoff distance substantiates that the Mach number independence principle applicable to ideal gases does not hold for dissociating flows. Over the range of Mach numbers, the noticeable influence of vibrational relaxation on the temperature distributions and mass concentrations in the vicinity of shocks is shown in the present study.