Evaluation of particle-based continuum methods for a coupling with the direct simulation Monte Carlo method based on a nozzle expansion

Abstract

This paper investigates three different particle-based continuum methods, the ellipsoidal statistical Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (ESBGK) and Fokker-Planck (ESFP) methods and the Low Diffusion (LD) method, for a coupling with the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. After a short description of the methods and their implementation, including the coupling concept for the LD-DSMC, simulation results of a nozzle expansion are compared with available experimental measurements and a DSMC simulation. Excellent agreement between ESBGK, ESFP, and DSMC can be observed in the throat of the nozzle, while the LD method fails to predict the correct velocity, temperature, and density profile. Further downstream, only the DSMC and the coupled ESBGK/ESFP-DSMC simulations are able to reproduce the measured rotational temperature profiles. A performance comparison shows the possible computational savings of a coupled ESBGK/ESFP-DSMC simulation, where a speedup of four orders of magnitude can be observed compared to a regular DSMC simulation.