The effects of radiative heat transfer in arc-heated nonequilibrium flow simulation

Abstract

Numerical simulation of a 20 kW constrictor-type arc-heated flow was carried out, and the distribution of the nonequilibrium flow-field properties was obtained. The flow field was described by the Navier–Stokes equations with a multi-temperature model, tightly coupled with the electric-field and radiation-field calculations. As a radiation model, an accurate and low-cost model was introduced into the flow-field simulation. It was confirmed that the plasma flow inside the arc-heated facility is in a state of high nonequilibrium and the arc discharge plays a critical role. By comparing the computational results with/without the radiation model, it was clarified that the radiation exerts significant effects on the heat transport in the constrictor section. Additionally, to validate the present numerical model, the numerical solutions were compared with the experimental data. It was indicated that the present flow-field simulation with a radiation model tends to be in good agreement with the corresponding experimental data.