High temperature non-equilibrium flow characteristics of impinging shock/flat-plate turbulent boundary layer interaction at Mach 8.42

Abstract

There are fewer reports on the impinging shock/boundary layer interaction in the high Mach number and high-temperature flow than that in the supersonic flow. High-temperature flow characteristics of the impinging shock/flat-plate turbulent boundary layer interaction (IS/FTBLI) at Mach 8.42 are numerically investigated by solving two-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations coupling with the thermal–chemical non-equilibrium model. An impinging shock is formed by the wedge with a 10° deflection angle. The inviscid flow parameters ahead of the cowl of a Mach 12 inlet are selected as the free-stream condition of this study. The primary emphasis of this study lies in understanding the thermal–chemical non-equilibrium effects in the IS/FTBLI. Moreover, the chemical non-equilibrium effects similar to previous reports from others are utilized for the comparative analysis. Our findings reveal that the vibrational or thermal non-equilibrium effects exhibit maximum prominence subsequent to the intersection of the impinging shock with separation shock, as well as in the convergence area of compression waves during the flow reattachment. On the other hand, the chemical non-equilibrium effects predominantly result from oxygen dissociation and atomic nitrogen production within the boundary layer; the chemical reactions are most intense within the separation zone. By comparing with a thermally perfect gas, a reduction in the flow separation is observed in the chemical non-equilibrium effects, but the flow separation is enhanced in the thermal–chemical non-equilibrium effects. The insights gained from our research are expected to contribute to the development of flow control technology in hypersonic IS/FTBLI scenarios and aid in configuring wave structures in the inner compression section of high Mach number scramjet inlets.