Hypersonic Turbulent Flow Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Simulations with Roughness and Blowing Effects

Abstract

Thermal protection systems experience severe thermal load during atmospheric reentry of hypersonic vehicles. Inherent to the ablation process, roughness and blowing effects may appear, affecting the performance of the heat shield. The modeling and the simulation of these effects in the hypersonic regime are challenging and rarely compared to experimental data. In this paper, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations of hypersonic turbulent boundary layers with roughness and blowing wall conditions are performed on Holden’s experimental configurations (“Studies of Surface Roughness and Blowing Effects on Hypersonic Turbulent Boundary Layers over Slender Cones,” 27th Aerospace Sciences Meeting, AIAA Paper 1989-0458, 1989). Using the shear stress transport model. Four experimental configurations, characterized by different levels of turbulence compressibility, are considered. A detailed discussion is proposed about the behavior of equivalent sand grain corrections and blowing corrections in combination with turbulence compressibility corrections. The predictions of skin-friction coefficients and Stanton numbers are in good agreement with Holden’s experimental data. These results show that the combination of the Zeman compressibility correction and roughness/blowing wall corrections is promising for the simulation of hypersonic boundary layers over rough walls with blowing.