Abstract
A coupled NS-DSMC method possessing adapted-interface and two-way coupling features is studied to simulate the plume impingement effects of space thrusters. The continuum-rarefied interface is determined by combining KnGL and Ptne continuum breakdown parameters. State-based coupling scheme is adopted to transfer information between continuum and particle solvers, and an overlapping grid technique is investigated to combine structured-grid NS code and Cartesian-grid DSMC code to form the coupled solver. Flow problem of a conical thruster plume impinging on a cone surface is simulated using the coupled solver, and the simulation result is compared with experimental data, which proves the validity of the proposed method. Plume flow while the ascent stage of lunar module lifting off in lunar environment is also computed by using the present coupled NS-DSMC method to demonstrate its capability. The whole flow field from combustion chamber to the vacuum environment is obtained, and the result reveals that special attention should be paid to the plume aerodynamic force at the early stage of launching process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G.A. Bird, Molecular Gas Dynamics, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1976.
Z.-H. Li, H.-X. Zhang, and L. Li, Gas-kinetic numerical study of complex flow problems covering various flow regimes, Comp. Math. with Applications, 2011, Vol. 61, No. 12, P. 3653–3667.
K. Xu and J.-C. Huang, A unified gas-kinetic scheme for continuum and rarefied flows, J. Comput. Phys., 2010, Vol. 229, P. 7747–7764.
J.M. Burt and I.D. Boyd, A hybrid particle approach for continuum and rarefied flow simulation, J. Comput. Phys., 2009, Vol. 228, P. 460–475.
V.I. Kolobov, R.R. Arslanbekov, V.V. Aristov, A.A. Frolova, and S.A. Zabelok, Unified solver for rarefied and continuum flows with adaptive mesh and algorithm refinement, J. Comput. Phys., 2007, Vol. 223, No. 2, P. 589–608.
D.C. Wadsworth and D.A. Erwin, One-dimensional hybrid continuum/particle simulation approach for rarefied hypersonic flows, AIAA Paper, 1990, No. 90-1690.
D.C. Wadsworth and D.A. Erwin, Two-dimensional hybrid continuum/particle approach for rarefied flows, AlAA Paper, 1992, No. 92-2975.
Hash D.B. and H.A. Hassan, Assessment of schemes for coupling Monte Carlo and Navier-Stokes solution methods, J. Thermophys. Heat Transfer, 1996, Vol. 10, P. 242–249.
S.-S. Xu, Z.-N. Wu, Q. Li, and Y.-J. Hong, Hybrid continuum/DSMC computation of rocket mode lightcraft flow in near space with high temperature and rarefaction effect, Computers and Fluids, 2009, Vol. 38, P. 1394–1404.
M.S. Ivanov, D.V. Khotyanovsky, A.N. Kudryatsev, P.V. Vashchenkov, G.N. Markelov, and A.A. Schmidt, Numerical study of backflow for nozzle plumes expanding into vacuum, AIAA Paper, 2004, No. 2004-2687.
J. Marichalar, A. Prisbell, F. Lumpkin, and G. Lebeau, Study of plume impingement effects in the lunar lander environment, in: AIP Conf. Proc., 2011, Vol. 1333, No. 1, P. 589–594.
B.-J. He, X.-Y. He, M.-X. Zhang, and G. Cai, Plume aerodynamic effects of cushion engine in lunar landing, Chinese J. Aeronautics, 2013, Vol. 26, No. 2, P. 269–278.
J.-S. Wu, Y.-Y. Lian, G. Cheng, R.P. Koomullil, and K.C. Tseng, Development and verification of a coupled DSMC-NS scheme using unstructured mesh, J. Comput. Phys., 2006, Vol. 219, P. 579–607.
T.E. Schwartzentruber and I.D. Boyd, A hybrid particle-continuum method applied to shock waves, J. Comput. Phys., 2006, Vol. 215, No. 2, P. 402–416.
T.E. Schwartzentruber, L.C. Scalabrin, and I.D. Boyd, A modular particle-continuum numerical method for hypersonic non-equilibrium gas flows, J. Comput. Phys., 2007, Vol. 225, No. 1, P. 1159–1174.
G.A. Bird, Molecular gas dynamics and the direct simulation of gas flows, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1994.
R.G. Wilmoth, A.B. Garlson, and G.J. LeBeau, DSMC grid methodologies for computing low-density, hypersonic flows about reusable launch vehicles, in: AIAA Thermophysics Conf., New Orleans, 1996, P. 1–31.
C. Shen, Rarefied Gas Dynamics: Fundamentals, Simulations, and Micro Flows, Springer, 2006.
G.A. Bird, Breakdown of translational and rotational equilibrium in gaseous expansions, AIAA J., 1970, Vol. 8, No. 11. P. 1998–2003.
A.L. Garcia, J.B. Bell, W.Y. Crutchfield, and B.J. Alder, Adaptive mesh and algorithm refinement using direct simulation Monte Carlo, J. Comput. Phys., 1999, Vol. 154, P. 134–155.
W.-L. Wang and I.D. Boyd, Predicting continuum breakdown in hypersonic viscous fows, Phys. Fluids, 2003, Vol. 15, No. 1, P. 91–100.
Q.-H. Sun and I.D. Boyd, Evaluation of macroscopic properties in the direct simulation Monte Carlo method, J. Thermophys. Heat Transfer, 2005, Vol. 19, P. 329–335.
A.L. Garcia and B.J. Alder, Generation of the Chapman-Enskog distribution, J. Comput. Phys., 1998, Vol. 140, No. 1, P. 66–70.
K.C. Kannenberg, Computational Method for the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Technique with Application to Plume Impingement, Cornell University, N.Y., 1998.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, Z., Tang, ZY., Cai, GB. et al. Development of a coupled NS-DSMC method for the simulation of plume impingement effects of space thrusters. Thermophys. Aeromech. 24, 835–847 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864317060026
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0869864317060026