Low-Speed DSMC Simulations of Hotwire Anemometers at High-Altitude Conditions

Abstract

Numerical simulations of hotwire anemometers in low-speed, high-altitude conditions have been carried out using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. Hotwire instruments are commonly used for in-situ turbulence measurements because of their ability to obtain high spatial and temporal resolution data. Fast time responses are achieved by the wires having small diameters (1–5 μm). Hotwire instruments are currently being used to make in-situ measurements of high-altitude turbulence (20–40 km). At these altitudes, hotwires experience Knudsen number values that lie in the transition-regime between slip-flow and free-molecular flow. This article expands the current knowledge of hotwire anemometers by investigating their behavior in the transition-regime. Challenges involved with simulating hotwires at high Knudsen number and low Reynolds number conditions are discussed. The ability of the DSMC method to simulate hotwires from the free-molecular to slip-flow regimes is demonstrated. Dependence of heat transfer on surface accommodation coefficient is explored and discussed. Simulation results of Nusselt number dependence on Reynolds number show good agreement with experimental data. Magnitude discrepancies are attributed to differences between simulation and experimental conditions, while discrepancies in trend are attributed to finite simulation domain size.