A review of European code-validation studies in high-enthalpy flow

Abstract

The paper focuses on the experiments performed in the European high-enthalpy facilities during the manned space flight hypersonic ground testing technology programme. Emphasis is placed on simple configuration testing enabling validation of the physical modelling within non-equilibrium Navier-Stokes codes. The highenthalpy facilities used are the ONERA hot-shot F4 and the DLR Stalker tube HEG. The simple configurations are the nozzle, the Electre blunt cone, the hyperboloid flare, and the 70 • blunt cone. In addition to these axisymmetric configurations, the Halis/Orbiter configuration was extensively tested and numerically computed to validate the ground-to-flight extrapolation methodology. Real-gas effects on aerodynamic forces and in particular on pitching moment for the Halis have been reproduced in the F4 and compared with flight. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations for additional improvements in nozzle calibrations using nonintrusive methods, and for an increased use of computational fluid dynamics for the design of experiments, the definition of the test environment, the interpretation of the results and for extrapolation to flight.

Computational Flowfield Analysis of a Planetary Entry Vehicle

“…Anyway Fig.7-b shows that CFD results compare well with Lees theory. detail on the nose probe (Muylaert et al, 1999) 6.2 ARD model in S4 wind-tunnel S4 test campaigns provide pressure profiles on the forebody centerline of the atmospheric re-entry demonstrator (ARD) capsule (see Fig.1 (Walpot, 2001) Results of present computations in terms of Cp on forebody centerline are summarized and compared with experimental data in Fig. 8, where CFD data provided by Walpot are also reported as further benchmark (Walpot, 2001).…”

“…7, where CFD results were compared with engineering and available experimental results (i.e. shot157, shot159, shot164) (Muylaert et al, 1999). The Cp comparison of numerical, experimental and engineering results shows good agreement in the first part of the test specimen, with differences only at the model end.…”

“…4) consists of a blunt conical surface 0.4 m long, semiaperture cone angle of 4.6° deg, and hemispherical nose radius of 0.035 m. It was tested in flight and in PWT, becoming a standard reference model to study non-equilibrium hypersonic flow past blunt-body configurations (Muylaert et al, 1999). The CFD computational domain, shown in Fig.4, consists of 60x120 cells with a minimum normal wall spacing of 10 -5 m which a grid sensitivity analysis has shown to be necessary to obtain a sufficient resolution of the flowfield features.…”

“…To this end, in order to assess the reliability of present results a numerical rebuilding of ELECTRE (Muylaert et al, 1999) and ARD (Walpot, 2001) test campaigns were performed. Experimental and numerical comparisons of results for both the test models were reported.…”

“…Reference calibration point conditions of the HEG nozzle (Muylaert et al, 1999) As an early assessment of work several engineering evaluations have been accomplished by means of ENTRY as, for example, pressure coefficient and convective heat transfer distributions on the test article wall. ENTRY quickly evaluates the pressure distribution by using the surface impact method, typical of hypersonics:…”