Abstract
The goal of this study is to analyze ablation of a thermal protection system with a small cavity-like surface defect. It is shown that, within the defect region, the ablation mechanism switches from the oxidation-dominated regime to the much faster sublimation-dominated regime. To accurately predict the ablation rate of graphite, several subprocesses must be accounted for, including high-temperature chemically reactive gas dynamics, heat transfer, and surface ablation mechanisms. In this study, a set of equations has been derived that intrinsically couple these subprocesses. A numerical methodology suitable for solving these equations has been developed, including modified finite-volume methods and a novel reactive-Riemann solver that treats the surface as another wave in the Riemann problem and its recession velocity as the wave speed. Numerical simulations have been carried out for the ablation of a graphite sphere–cone over a range of conditions with prevailing oxidation or sublimation. The results compare favorably to available experimental data.
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