Numerical simulation of transient hypervelocity flow in an expansion tube

Abstract

Several numerical simulations of the transient flow of helium is an expansion tube are presented in an effort to identify some of the basic mechanisms which cause the noisy test flows seen in experiments. The calculations were performed with an axisymmetric Navier-Stokes code based on a finite-volume formulation and upwinding techniques. Although laminar flow and ideal bursting of the diaphragms was assumed, the simulations showed some of the important features seen in the experiments. In particular, the discontinuity in the tube diameter at the primary-diaphragm station introduced a transverse pertubation to the expanding driver gas and this perturbation was seen to propagate into the test gas under some flow conditions. The disturbances seen in the test flow can be characterized as either small-amplitude, low-frequency noise, possibly introduced during shock-compression, or large-amplitude, high frequency noise, associated with the passage of the reflected-head of the unsteady expansion.