Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Abdelkader Frendi
Committee Member
Chang-kwon Kang
Committee Member
Sarma Rani
Committee Member
Gabriel Xu
Committee Member
Sivaguru S. Ravindran
Research Advisor
Abdelkader Frendi
Subject(s)
Computational fluid dynamics, Turbulence
Abstract
Turbulent compressible flows are ubiquitous in many engineering applications of flight and propulsion. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are commonly performed to analyze these flows. Scale-resolving turbulence models inherently better capture various flow phenomena, including separation and mixing, as well as enable predictions of fluctuations, which can be critical for design compared to traditional steady-state turbulence models. In this work, new scale-resolving blended Partially-Averaged Navier-Stokes (BPANS) turbulence models are developed to account for compressibility effects and are employed to efficiently simulate turbulent compressible flows. Specifically, supersonic retropropulsion flows are investigated. Supersonic retropropulsion is a key technology for next-generation rockets. The new BPANS models are tested on a canonical supersonic mixing layer and experimental retropropulsion configurations. The model is also applied on a Mars lander retropropulsion concept to investigate gas model effects, including finite-rate chemistry to account for afterburning. Results from all these simulations are in good agreement with available experimental data.
Recommended Citation
Nastac, Gabriel C., "Application of a new scale-resolving turbulence model to supersonic retropropulsion flows with chemistry" (2024). Dissertations. 398.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dissertations/398