Study on Numerical Algorithm of the N-S Equation for Multi-Body Flows around Irregular Disintegrations in Near Space

Abstract

There has been a concern that the accurate numerical simulation of multi-body flow, which is caused by the multiple disintegrations of expired spacecraft re-entering into the near space, has a critical bottleneck impact on the falling area of the disintegrated debris. To solve this problem, an O-type grid topology method has been designed for the multi-body flow field of irregular debris formed by multiple disintegrations in near space, and a finite-volume implicit numerical scheme has been constructed for the Navier-Stokes equations to solve the aerodynamic interference characteristics of irregular multi-body flow, and further the N-S equation numerical algorithm has been established for the irregular multi-body flows in near space. The reliability of the method has been verified by the comparison of the present computation and the experiment of the low-density wind tunnel for the two-body flow of sphere, cylinder and square scripts. The objects of this study are from the multiple disintegrations of the Tiangong-1 spacecraft during uncontrolled re-entry into the atmosphere, including propelling cylinders and low-temperature lock cabinets. A series of simulations of multi-body flow mechanisms around different combinations have been carried out with varied shapes and spacing. As a result, it is found that when the distance of irregular debris (e.g., two propelling cylinders) in the near space is in the range of Δy < 3D or Δx < D, there is an obvious multi-body interference between debris, and the flow characteristics are obviously changed. When the distance between the debris in near space reaches a certain level, the influence of mutual interference can be ignored. For example, when the y-direction distance between multiple bodies is greater than 3D, the flow interference tends to be small and can be ignored, and we can regard them as two separate pieces to be carried out by the numerical prediction of flight track and falling area in engineering application. The results provide a practical design criterion for the integrated simulation platform which is used to simulate the multi-physics complex aerodynamics of space vehicles from the free-molecule flow of the outer space to the near-ground continuum flow.